Is my starter fried? Or is it the selonoid?

 

That sound is the solenoid, but unless you know how to replace one, its easier to replace the whole starter. Usually, if you go to a J-yard, it will be $30 for a used one. If you give them your old one, it will be $25. They take the old one, replace the solenoid guts, then sell it to someone else for $30.

 

weak battery and bad connections do that too.

 

Yeah. It's cheaper to start by checking the battery. Take the connections off the terminals, rub some sandpaper inside them and put them back on - tight.

Then get the battery checked. Then look at stuff like replacing the solenoid.

When this happened to my old Toyota when I was parked in town, the callout mechanic hit my starter motor a couple of times with a steel pipe. Apprently if the starter itself is crapping out, this can get it going again, at least for a short period.

Bye,
ScruffyChimp

 

If it is making a cliking noise, (coming from next to the solinoid) then there is nothing wrong with the solinoid.
It sounds like your starter drive is sticking.
But check your battery connections first.
Then check if your battery has a charge.
If they are ok, check you power leads to your starter.
If all are ok......your starter is f*cked!
If it's a 12a, the starter is about $110cdn.
I'm not sure if the starter is the same for a 13b, or how much it costs.

Anyways.......that's my $0.02



Vince

 

Happened to me and my battery just wasn't charged up enough.. definitely check that first

 

Yes they do. I had the exact same "click click" problem and it was a bad battery connection. I replaced the terminal connectors and used some dielectric grease on the battery posts and the problem went away. The grease alone might solve your problem.

 

I had a lot of expereince with crappy starters, trust me

Check everything for the obvious first, battery , wire etc etc, then if thats all good. Replace with a good starter, I had nothing but bad luck with the autozone special. Get yours rebuild by a good electrical motor shop, or spend the extra cash and buy a Mazda one.

 

clean the battery terminals with a wire bush, and also i wash it off with a 70/30 mix of water/baking soda. The baking soda will clean off a lot of corrosion. The "click click" could be either bad connections or even a weak battery. I would buy a hydrometer, it looks like a antifreeze tester, to check the specific gravitiy of the acid. It is only a couple of bucks at any hardware store, takes the guesswork out of if the battery is charged or not.

 

Real easy test before you do all of the above stuff....
Have a friend stand in front of your car...turn the lights on, try and start the car. If the lights dim it is the battery (or connections), if the lights stay the same it's the starter.
hanman

 

Thanks for all the tips guys.
My battery is real weak. I am trying to start a car that has sat for 5 years and am trying to remember if I really fried the starter or not before I put it away. I guess I could take ti out and have it tested.