Intermittent starting issue (1990 240)

[BrickNH]

Hi all,

For the last few months, my 240 has had an intermittent starting issue. It seems to happen most often when I've driven the car for a bit, parked it for, say, 30 minutes, and then try to start it again. It doesn't crank, but the lights still dim. Voltage is also getting to the starter no problem, and I can jump the starter by using a screwdriver, which leads me to believe it may be a bad solenoid, but I'm not sure. I've also noticed its started to do it more frequently as the weather has gotten warmer.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[dl242gt]

Bring a breaker bar with you for a drive. When it doesn't crank bang on the starter. My last bad starter had an issue when the starter got hot from driving the starter wouldn't crank the engine over. I'd bang on the top of the solenoid and the car would start right up. If you let the car cool down for several hours it would also crank the engine over.

 

[BrickNH]

I'll give that a shot, I've tried banging on the starter before but I don't think i was able to whack it hard enough, probably just need to get at it from a good angle. If I bang on it and it starts up, would that mean its the solenoid?

Thanks for the advice

 

[dl242gt]

Yes, it would mean the solenoid is hanging up and not moving to engage the drive. I just use the breaker bar vertically and hit it up and down with the bar. No room to swing it.

If your car has the main system fuse near the battery. that's another spot that can also cause intermittent starting.

 

[Khrrck]

Just be careful with the breaker bar since there's a few very large electrical connections on the starter which could give you a Fun Time if you manage to short them to ground with a conductive tool.

 

[towerymt]

The later, lighter, small diameter starter was known for this. I had at least one that would lock up when hot, but work fine when cooled back to ambient. I know of at least one more small one that did this (because I helped push start the car a couple times) The old, bigger diameter, heavier starter didn't seem to suffer this problem as often. Small sample, but I've only had this problem on the small/light starters.

Either way, sounds like you'll be replacing a starter soon. Not a terrible job...but not fun, either.

 

[dl242gt]

I've never had a large old style starter fail on my own cars. But the cars that have had the small starter between me and friends there have been at least a couple of fails.

 

[cleanflametrap]

I've never had a large old style starter fail on my own cars. But the cars that have had the small starter between me and friends there have been at least a couple of fails.

Same experience with our family fleet. The old starters never gave me a reason to pull them or take them apart. All my experience putting on brushes, armatures, bearings, and Bendix drives have been with the small permanent magnet starters, like what came with the 1990. Maybe use a broomstick.