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STARTER MOTOR AND ALTERNATOR INSTALLATION NOTES AND TIPS
Common Starter Motor Failures
62% of all starter motor failure is due to a faulty or weak battery.
19% of all starter motor failure is due to poor electrical connections, fusable links, bad battery cables, and weak grounds. Cable can be tested by verifying that voltage drop doesn't exceed 1/2 volt from end to end.
8% of all starter failure is due to improperly shimmed General Motors starters.
7% of all starter failure is due to improper timing and overheating.
NOTE. Before installing a starter motor be sure of a fully charged battery.
Help Identify Starter Motor problems
Common Alternator Failures
67% of all alternator failure is due to a faulty or weak battery.
14% of all alternator failure is due to poor electircal connections, fusable links, bad battery cables and bad ground cables.
9% of all alternator failure is due to belt wear or improper adjustment
6% of all alternator failure is due to jump starting another car or improperly (failure to disconnect connection on alternator will cause voltage spikes)
NOTE. Before installing an alternator be sure of a fully charged battery.
Home Starter Motor Diagnosis
| Symptom | Diagnosis | Cure |
Starter turns engine slowly: lights dim or don't work |
Weak or flat battery. |
Push start a manual gearbox car or use jump leads (Check vehicles handbook first to see if this is possible). Recharge battery. Get garage to check the battery and charging system. |
Starter doesn't operate; no sound from engine, lights and windscreen wipers don't work. |
Completely dead battery or faulty battery connections. |
Check and clean the battery connectors at the terminals, also earth lead from the battery to the car body. If this does not work you will have to call the garage or motoring organisation. |
Loud clicking noise when ignition key is turned to start position. Starter does not operate but lights and windscreen wipers work. |
Starter motor problem, possibly a stuck gear in the starter. |
Try rocking the car back and forth in top gear with handbrake off to free the gear. If you can locate the starter motor sometimes a sharp tap on it with a spanner does the trick. If nothing happens push start a manual gearbox car or call for help if the car has automatic transmission. |
No sound from engine. Lights and windscreen wipers work O.K. |
Faulty ignition switch, wiring, solenoid or starter motor. |
Try jiggling ignition key whilst turning it. If you can locate solenoid (by battery) check if there are any loose connections, if so tighten them. If this doesn't work push start a manual gearbox car or call for help if the car has automatic transmission. |
Starter motor turns engine strongly, but engine doesn't start. |
No fuel in tank.
Moisture in the ignition system
Disconnected or loose wires in the ignition system.
Petrol hose broken or disconnected |
Don't rely on fuel gauge. Remove petrol cap and rock car you should be able to hear a sloshing sound if there is any petrol in the tank. Disconnect the spark plug leads one at a time to avoid confusing their positions. Wipe with dry cloth or paper towel. Wipe top of each spark plug before refitting lead. Wipe moisture from top of ignition coil. Remove distributor cap (fixed with either spring clips or screws) and wipe both the inside and outside of the cap. If possible, spray the whole ignition system with a moisture repellent aerosol e.g. WD40. Check leads from the ignition coil to the distributor and from the distributor to the spark plugs. Check all petrol hoses. |
Starter motor turns engine strongly; strong smell of petrol after repeated attempts at starting. |
Engine flooded with petrol. |
Wait 15 minutes for excess petrol to evaporate, then try again without using manual choke. Depress the accelerator pedal slowly to the floor and keep it there. Don't pump the pedal, you will flood the carburettor again. |
Car Battery Voltage
With the engine turned off a new car battery voltage should be 12 to 12.8V DC. If the battery is 10V this is a good indicator it is dead.
To check if the alternator is working, measure the battery voltage when the car is running, it should be higher if the alternator is working correctly.