Starter Problems

[KiwiRS4T]

After visiting friends went to jump in the car and roar off but on turning the key nothing! Luckily now manual (excuse the smugness) I was able to roll down the drive and bump start it.

Got the car home and saw that the old "stick a screwdiver across the solenoid" was rather easier said than done and after getting under the car was not looking forward to pulling the starter out. The switch wire to the solenoid has a black plastic holder on the end and it seemed a bit floppy so I pulled it off and put another wire on the solenoid and touched the other end to the battery - bingo! So it wasn't the starter but somewhere in the switch circuit or the ignition switch.

Hopefully, I cut the terminal off the end of the switch wire and put a new one on. Problem solved. I was lucky this time but moral of the story is if you're not getting a click when you turn the key stick a wire on the solenoid switch terminal and apply power to isolate the fault: switch circuit or solenoid/starter.

[mattye]

Got the car home and saw that the old "stick a screwdiver across the solenoid" was rather easier said than done and after getting under the car was not looking forward to pulling the starter out. The switch wire to the solenoid has a black plastic holder on the end and it seemed a bit floppy so I pulled it off and put another wire on the solenoid and touched the other end to the battery - bingo! So it wasn't the starter but somewhere in the switch circuit or the ignition switch.

lol. i spent 2 or so months starting my holdenm apollo like that after frying the loom behind the dash when a gps was pluged into my cigaret lighter socket that was loose. pretty sure it touched some metal behind the dash.

[coparts41]

had the same problem with my S2 , eventually wired a 30A relay into circuit and no more problems , that was 2 years ago

[KiwiRS4T]

Thanks for that Dennis. Started fine in my driveway ..came out of the supermarket a few minutes ago and nothing!! I'll go get a relay and some heavy cable tomorrow.