Fed Up

[eds]

I'm fed up!

My starter motor clatters when starting the engine.

The engine does start but it is so not right.

I looked at the earth but that has made no difference.

In the cold it really struggled to start.

It is a brand new starter. It did it with the old brand new starter too.

Sometimes it did a perfectly clean start but not any longer, it always clatters.

Any ideas?

[fozsug]

What engine gearbox year etc?

[eds]

Sorry!

It is a 200tdi LT77 with a bosch starter L reg 93?

[fozsug]

Is the battery good?

You say you have checked"the earth", but have you checked all the earths?

Have you checked the feed to the starter is clean and tight?

Check the spade connector is making good connection and the wire isn't cracked or damaged?

Try swaping the relay for known good one

Try "bridging" across the terminals and see if it starts cleanly

[Maverik]

Was was the condition of the drive teeth on your old starter? did you have a look at the teeth on the flywheel when you had thr starter out? (peer through the hole).

Can you define "clatter" a bit? there really isn't a lot to go wrong with a starter system, especially if you've put a new starter motor on it.

As stated above, check all the main earths, namly gearbox to -ve and actual -ve terminal on your battery contact.

[eds]

It is a new battery.

I have cleaned the earth where it meets the chassis and the transfer box.

Have not looked at teeth on flywheel as did not realise that this could be a prob

It is all the time now which suggests not teeth as that would be on one part of the wheel not all the way round.

I have put a jump lead from the battery terminal to a thread that comes out of the starter rear. No difference.

I have not checked the small lead to the solenoid, if this is poor what would the symptoms be?

I have not checked the feed to the starter either.

Sometimes it does give a nice clean start, perfect noise wise.

Now it clatters whilst it turns the engine over at a regular pace, obviously it fires quite quickly but in the very cold it nearly could not even fire it clattered so much.

Help!

[fozsug]

It sounds like the solenoid is engaging and disengaging through an interupted power supply or earth.

The small wire to the solenoid is the trigger wire which fires the solenoid over

Bridge between the main starter feed wire and the connector on the solenoid with a piece of wire and this will tell you if the problem is with the starter(or ring gear), or the wiring to the starter

[eds]

Thanks for the advice

I am not so sure on how to implement that through as it all sounds very tight down there.

Am I going to have to remove the exhaust down pipe?

Am I then going to get a jump cable from the battery positive directly to somewhere on the starter?

Could it be the trigger wire is only partially working or is it the main power cable?