Starter Issues

[Suby Fan]

ARG!! wtf after market parts companies? I so I just got done replacing my starter at work 4 times! It took 4 starters before I got one that actually worked..

the original's solenoid had worn down so that every once and a while it would take quite a few trys to get the starter to turn

starter 1 was a autolite and when I put it in it seemed to work fine but after a few days it was doing the exact same thing the original was doing

starter 2 was also a autolite and seemed to work fine first try but after a day it seemed that the windings in the motor went exactly up to par (it would "cug" and make some awful scraping noises)

so at this point i should let every one know I'm doing this at work.... I originally paid 50/hr to put a starter ordered for me in using my own tools on my own car... seemed like a dumb idea at the time until I got paid 4 times 3 under warranty

starter 3 was a denso.. supposedly new... the ****ing thing just clicked and didn't turn the motor right out the box... my boss was refusing to believe me when i told him its the starter again... even when i had my multimeter on both sides of the solenoid showing 11.5v of line loss!!!

starter 4... another autolite... the one that finally worked!!!!.... so far... its only been 2 days..

anyone elce have this problem? or was mine just a fluke?

[kwren]

Probably not even a bad starter

Good luck,
Keith

[svxpert]

<<even when i had my multimeter on both sides of the solenoid showing 11.5v of line loss!!!>>

what was the voltage at the starter to battery cable? did you try to start it without the key by using a starter trigger?

[Suby Fan]

Originally Posted by svxpert

<<even when i had my multimeter on both sides of the solenoid showing 11.5v of line loss!!!>>

what was the voltage at the starter to battery cable? did you try to start it without the key by using a starter trigger?

I checked all that when I replaced the starter the second time... I got .19 v of line loss from battery post to the positve side of the solenoid... .3v from the ground side which is technicly out of spec but not enough to cause the issuses I was having... the current starter is still working... i think it was just REALLY bad luck, but if it wasnt i hope that some one can use this post as a refrence when they are frustrated from replacing mulitpule starters...

[Crazy_pilot]

I had the same problem with my boat this past week. Starter goes, so I replace it. After two days the new one couldn't even turn the motor. The guy that sold me the starter refused to believe me and came to see the boat himself. After proving that the engine wasn't siezed or full of water, and that the starter couldn't even turn the motor with the plugs out, he replaced it.

[dromano]

So, would it have been worth the price of a new starter from Subaru? Are the oem starters Denso?

R&R of the starter does not look like fun, it looks to me there is not much room to work. Suby Fan, on which of the four starters did you become an expert at R&R? And, thanks for the info on the quality issue.

[Suby Fan]

Originally Posted by dromano

So, would it have been worth the price of a new starter from Subaru? Are the oem starters Denso?

R&R of the starter does not look like fun, it looks to me there is not much room to work. Suby Fan, on which of the four starters did you become an expert at R&R? And, thanks for the info on the quality issue.

haha that's what I thought until about the 2nd one... and keep in mind my work payed me every time i R&Red the thing... I think I was down to 15-20 min to pull the thing out and put it back in... Its actually fairly easy... just pull the top engine cover out remove the two vacuum lines and pull them in to the upper intake to keep them out of the way. Then remove the one heater core line from the engine side (i had a hose clamp on it so i didn't have to refill the system... or make a mess) and start with the bottom 14mm nut so that you just have to loosen it and take it out by hand... then the top 14mm and just weasel it out enough to reach the solenoid positive. oh and...

DON'T FORGET TO REMOVE THE NEGATIVE BATTERY POST

[dromano]

Originally Posted by Suby Fan

haha that's what I thought until about the 2nd one... and keep in mind my work payed me every time i R&Red the thing... I think I was down to 15-20 min to pull the thing out and put it back in... Its actually fairly easy... just pull the top engine cover out remove the two vacuum lines and pull them in to the upper intake to keep them out of the way. Then remove the one heater core line from the engine side (i had a hose clamp on it so i didn't have to refill the system... or make a mess) and start with the bottom 14mm nut so that you just have to loosen it and take it out by hand... then the top 14mm and just weasel it out enough to reach the solenoid positive. oh and...

DON'T FORGET TO REMOVE THE NEGATIVE BATTERY POST

Thanks,
I feel better now. I have always figured the starter would be a PITA to R&R.
Your tip is appreciated.

[Subix]

Originally Posted by dromano

So, would it have been worth the price of a new starter from Subaru? Are the oem starters Denso?

R&R of the starter does not look like fun, it looks to me there is not much room to work. Suby Fan, on which of the four starters did you become an expert at R&R? And, thanks for the info on the quality issue.

Yea, I was thinking isn't the Autolites just remanufactured? (which in most cases = crap). It's worth the extra $40 or so for a new one I believe. I've replaced the starter on my impreza 3 times in less than a year and finally, this one works... though, it tends to take a few times before it will actually kick over. I just let it be, happy that it actually starts and it's been doing ok for over a year now. I guess that's what I get for trying to save $30 or $40 for a re-manufactured part.

[SVX92-97]

I bought an NSA Brand New starter in May 07, and it just died on me last week. It would just make a clicking noise, and would take several turns to start, sometimes longer. Fortunately it came with a two year warranty, so rockauto.com (where I bought it) sent me another one. Well, I had a friend replace that one yesterday, and it makes a weird noise, like its not disengaging properly. Called svxfiles and he said its either defective or could have been installed wrong. Anyhow I called rockauto today and there sending me another one and theyre paying the return shipping. Ive had the worst luck so far with my 96 polo.