squealling start: starter motor?
Hey lads,
Somethime, when i start my car (cold engine), I hear a big squeal. I stop the contact and start again with no pb at the second try.
Stater motor?
Does it mean I will need to change it soon? or perhpap's just a service (grease, tight it....) or change some stuff inside?
Prefer to check this now as it quite easy to fix I think instead of to have my car stuck in the middle of nowhere because of a faulty starter motor!
thx++
zai
Just lost the game.
Definitely starter motor related, that squeal can't be mistaken. If it started the car, and kept squealing until you gave the accelerator a punch, it'd mean that the overrunning clutch is getting stuck on, because the squeal is usually generated when the starter motor is being pushed faster than it should go (in this case, remaining connected to the drive belt).
Originally Posted by Philthy
Your freedom ends where mine begins
Yep, definately the starter.
Had a similar issue with my starter in my old VX, something to do with the starter motor not disengaging the flywheel once the engine starts.
Probably want to get it replaced at some point soon(ish) otherwise the bastard will probably throw in the ghost at the most inconvenient moment possible.
Good luck mate!
I don't start the engine. The squeal is too high so I don't go further and I stop to turn the contact right away.
Last edited by zai; 24-03-2010 at 01:37 PM.
There is a thing called "grease"! NOT OIL! NOT WD40! It is quite handy for rectifying this problem when the starter motor lubrication drys out.
It's a simple matter of the "Throw out" gear getting stuck on the shaft in the start position because of a lack of lubrication!
I notice it happens a few weeks after going through deep mud holes in the V6 powered Hilux. I have to remove the starter and apply a liberal coating of GREASE to the shaft to get everything good again!
You guys should get out and about in a Hilux to learn about life and it's realities, every now and then!
So is this particular noise mean a lubrification pb I can fix with some grease??
Probably is, let us know how you go!
I doubt it's the actual starter motor. It's more likely to be worn teeth on the ring gear. It happens in 3 places and when sufficiently worn the starter motor turns with full power before it engages hence the squeal it's the gears grinding edge on. I had a similar issue with my VN. I took the bottom cover of, a cow of a job and the teeth were worn out in 3 places, 120 degrees apart. It has to do where the motor usually comes to rest when you turn it off.
You will need a new flex plate and ring gear which means pulling out the gearbox.
damn it!
It's not the same job to remove a starter motor or just inspect the ring gear for damaged, cracked or
worn teeth!!
Are you sure of this? What could happen if I continue to drive like this. It only happened a handfull of time (3,4 time) since I got the car (1,5 year)
in the workshop manual
"Frequent jamming of the starter motor drive with the flywheel ring gear can be due to a bent starter armature shaft, damaged teeth on the drive and/or ring gear. With the starter motor removed, the flywheel ring gear teeth can be examined through the starter motor mounting aperture.
The checking for a bent armature shaft can be done by rotating the shaft by hand while the end is held in close proximity to a fixed object"
So I will remove soon the starter motor to check the starter motor itself (and why not put some grease) and check also the aperture for damaged theeth
Is anyone have an idea how much it could cost to change this ****ing part??
New ring or flywheel, new filter+gasket+oil (11l!!) for transmission = around 100$
labor = 300 to 500 dol??
Yeah well, if the teeth are worn on the ring gear, then that is another type of "screach" moise.
I used to live with it in an old Falcon. I had to open the bonnet and rotate the crank a bit to start it. So if your low on cash, try doing that.
If you leave it, not fix it, it wont cause worse damage, just annoying to start.
From what you have described ie screaching the first go then working properly the next is exactly the problem I had and it was the ring gear teeth worn out. I doubt it is anything wrong with the starter motor itself because it starts properly the second go, however if you have it out servicing it is a good idea. When I got at mine the starter motor gear and mechanism were fine, no noticable wear at all.
To look at the teeth through the starter motor hole you will have to get the starter motor completely out of the car and be able to look down there so that means removing the left hand side exhaust manifold and getting the starter motor out from the top. I think you will need a mirror and a torch to see the ring gear that way as there is not that much space. When I looked at mine I took the bottom cover off the bell housing which is a big job as it was the cast iron one braced to the sump bolts on the engine block. You need to unbolt the starter motor and if it has never been off there is meant to be a bolt at the front so you still have to take the manifold off to get at that (mine didn't have it) (don't forget to disconnect the battery first or you will short the terminals to ground). Then you have to unbolt the engine exhaust pipes and remove the section from the manifolds to the cat, unbolt the steering rack from the K frame and steering shaft and pull it back to get at the bottom cover bolts properly and once you have the bolts out you will probably have to jack the engine to get the cover out from between the studs and K frame. It's a pretty big job and took me several hours.
I think a new flex plate costs about $150.00 and you need new bolts as well from memory.
hhhhuummmm I think I gonna wait before to engage such works! If it's no big deal for the car to have worn teeth except to start the car somethimes, will see this later!When I will have more time and money, perhap's I will check first and if it's really worn I will do it in a row.
thx guys!++
Resident Ford mechanic
Is your car manual?? Mine sometimes squeels on startup...apparently the throw out bearing or some shit in my gearbox is made of bronze or something & if not lubed when fitted squeels????
Manuals have a different starter motor to an auto and it is adjustable with shims, when the contacts in the solenoid are badly worn it could in theory effect the adjustment as the starter motor end gear would be in a different position along it's throw when the motor got full power.
My understanding is that the starter motor gear will turn slowly as it travels down towards the ring gear so it can engage in the teeth on the flex plate then once this has happened full power is appied (it's in series with the solenoid until then so it turns slowly).
So if your car is a manual and if the teeth on the ring gear are not worn then it could be the starter motor mounting shims or a worn set of contacts in the solenoid.
Cost wise it depends if you do it yourself the flex plates are only around $100 and you can get a auto service kit for less than $20 plus oil. It's a fairly big and messy job. I'd be draining the auto before I pulled it out as oil will go everywhere.
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