How to check the starter yourself

The starter – one of the main components of the engine starting mechanism. If the starter is broken – the car will only start from the place «with a push-pull » or with the help of a tow rope and a second car. When you try in vain to start the engine, but the battery is perfectly fine – look for the cause of starter failure. Let's take a look at how to check the starter without the aid of a diagnostic bench.

See how to check the starter without the aid of a diagnostic bench.

Before you learn how to identify starter failure, learn what signs indicate starter failure:

• when trying to start the engine in the extreme position of the key, the starter makes one strong click, but the engine does not star
• the starter makes a clicking noise while starting the engine, but the coil fires
• starter cranks, but the gears do not cling to the engine system;
• when trying to start the engine there is a failure of the unit to turn the ignition key;
• after an unsuccessful attempt to start the engine there is a fire of the starter winding, with light smoke emitted from under the bonnet;
• the retractor relay does not fulfil its function, the starter idles or does not move the gear away from the engine after it starts.

Starter self-check

If you've had to deal with the situations mentioned above, it's a good idea to test the starter and its components.

•          Checking the starter relay

First, remove the unit from the engine. After that, connect the lead of the retractor relay to the plus terminal of the battery, and the starter housing – to the minus terminal. If the starter is in working condition, the armature will advance the pinion. This process is accompanied by a characteristic click. Otherwise, we can talk about the malfunction of the retractor relay. The reasons for this may be burned contacts, burned winding, jamming of the armature.

•          Checking the starter armature

If you do not trust car services or like to repair your car with your own hands, to check the armature it is enough to measure the insulation resistance between the rotor case and windings with a tester. On the screen of the device (with a serviceable armature) you will see a number of several million ohms. If the display shows zero to a few ohms, the armature is defective. This may be due to interturn winding shorting, soldering of the collector leads. Remove the cause of the short circuit or replace the armature with a new one.

•           Check the ignition coil

If the retractor relay and armature are good, examine the ignition coil. Prepare an ohmmeter, a 10mm ratchet spanner and call a helper.

First, do an external inspection for cracks, chips, and moisture buildup. Then check for spark. Procedure: remove the cover from the trampler, turn the crankshaft so that the breaker contacts close. Then switch on the ignition and at a distance of 5-6 mm bring the high-voltage wire coming from the coil to the "mass" of the internal combustion engine. Periodically, manually, open the electrical circuit. If you see an intense spark of blue colour, the coil is all right. If there is no spark – it's time to change the mechanism.

•          Check the bendix

There are cases when the starter motor turns, but the engine won't start. This phenomenon can be caused by a faulty bendix (overrunning clutch).

The bendix is a toothed mechanism and is designed to transmit rotation in one direction. Due to the special design of the teeth, when the engine starts and revs up, the bendix rotates in the opposite direction at idle. When the teeth and internal components of the bendix wear, the bendix slips and cannot transmit rotational impulse to the motor.

To check the serviceability of the bendix, you can apply «grandfather» way. Dismantle the starter and clamp in a vise for «ear». Connect the unit to the battery. When it unwinds, take a wooden bar and press it against the bendix. If the mechanism is serviceable, it will grind the wood. If the bar causes the overrunning clutch to stall, but the starter continues to rotate, it should be replaced.

So, if you can't check the starter on the stand, you can find the reasons for its failure yourself, but it's better to go to a car service and entrust this task to professionals.