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  #1  
Old 07-21-2005, 02:57 PM
iwishicoulddunk
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Exclamation Need Help Everyone Is Stumped

Ok, I am the owner of a 92 with 172k on her and she runs strong, i just had $2k worth of maintenance done. (the work done included timing belt, various gaskets in the engine, an exhaust leak fix, changing of all fluids, and a new rebuilt starter.) The only thing relevant to the problem is the starter. I get a hard clicking when i turn the key to start the car at various times, the engine could be sitting cold for hours, or i could have just shut it off 5min ago and try to start it again. I cannot predict when the hard click will happen. Upon turning the key fully into the start position all i hear is a hard clicking noise. The current starter in my vehicle is the 3rd starter in my car since i have owned it. The original starter went bad because i had to hit it with a wrench to get the car to start. Then then another starter was put in, and when i had the $2k worth of work done the 3rd starter was put in because the dealer just thought the starter was bad, they are idiots, i told them not to because the problem i am having is still occuring, so they refunded me the price of the part.
I just had another mechanic look at the car, and he is a very trusted mechanic. He checked the voltage readings at all points of suspected failure, which include the starter switch thing inside where the key goes. (realize I do not know what i am talking about sometimes so this may be confusing) He also replaced corroded battery cables and checked all volatage pointes on grounding wires from the engine and the starter. EVERYTHING checked out fine. He is completely stumped. The only thing he can think of is a bad starter, but what are the odds of 3 starters having this issue, please if anyone can help me that would be awesome. Thank you for reading this, if any more info is needed my aim screenname is iwishicoulddunk.
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Old 07-21-2005, 03:03 PM
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Earthworm Earthworm is offline
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This is a common problem. The most common issue is within the ignition. Over time the voltage output from the ignition to the starter drops to a point where it can't power the starter solenoid.

One person has replaced their ignition while most everyone else (including me) has added a relay to send better power to the starter solenoid.

A search for "starter relay" will find more information regarding this issue.
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Old 07-21-2005, 03:23 PM
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Manarius Manarius is offline
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My Legacy did the exact same thing when the starter was cooked. It clicked randomly until it was replaced. Apparently, a terminal in the started got worn out, hence the click.
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Old 07-21-2005, 08:45 PM
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UberRoo UberRoo is offline
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If what you mean by "hard clicking noise" is a constant clicking, or buzzing, then the problem is that the starter is not getting enough power. When the starter solenoid receives power, it closes the primary contact points inside the starter assembly which give the starter motor power to turn. The problem is that sometimes there's enough power to operate the starter solenoid which is only a few amps, but not enough to operate the starter motor, which can be well over 100 amps. When the primary contact points close and the starter receives power, the starter motor hogs all the available power, which doesn't leave enough to operate the solenoid. ...so the solenoid relaxes and opens the primary contact points. Naturally, that turns off the starter motor. Of course, once the starter motor is turned off, there's plenty of power to operate the solenoid again, and the cycle continues as long as you hold the ignition key to start.

There are two common causes and a third uncommon one. The most common cause is simply a discharged, failing, or undersized battery. The second common cause is weak electrical connection. This can mean corroded battery terminals, corroded battery wires or ends, or loose screws where the wires are attached. Everybody immediately checks the big hot wire coming from the positive terminal on the battery, but the big ground wire is equally important. Some starters have a short jumper wire that goes from the starter solenoid to the motor itself, and that is often overlooked. It's nearly impossible to detect or measure a weak connection on the battery or starter cables, because virtually all multimeters are unable to apply enough current to such large wires to get a meaningful resistance reading. The only real test is to apply of lot of power to one end and see if it comes out the other.

The uncommon cause is that sometimes there's a short inside the starter motor. Because such a short is basically a very, very large shunt, even with plenty of power it will still turn off everything in the electrical system.

One of the best and easiest tests for a bad electrical connection is to simply attach some jump starting cables directly to the starter motor terminals. The other ends of the cables are attached to a battery, which upon doing so, will immediately start turning over the engine.
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Old 07-21-2005, 09:28 PM
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Myetball Myetball is offline
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Mine did this for a while. I opened up the steering column and found the two security bolts for the ignition cylinder were loose. Worked for a while then later found the bolt holding the electrical switch in the lock cylinder was loose. After replacing/tightening all three I haven't had any problems.

Did your mechanic check voltage on starter relay wire of the ignition switch while turning the key? Maybe you need a new ignition switch, not lock and cylinder, just the electrical part.
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