Starter motor issues.... advice needed please

[Russ Kellermann]

Hey guys,

How does one know when the starter motor is on its way out? Last week mine developed a click/clack sound as the motor starts turning over when the key is turned. The motor starts, but its not the usual precise sound it once was. I always wait for the coil light to go out before turning the key, and the motor normally comes to life in a short precise manner. Now, together with this clicking/clacking sound , i also feel that the glow plugs are on their way out as the motor labours a little to start, which is typically indicative of worn out plugs.

Whats your thoughts? I'd like to get this sorted ASAP as i am travelling a great deal this december january and i'm usually on my own.

[JG Shields]

Russ, this may be a stupid question but...are you sure you do not have a loose wire/dirty battery connections/poor ground wire?

Never the less, send your starter for a recon. It will be as goos as new.

[Ross]

Hi Russ,

The idea of checking connections is a good one....always check the easy & cheap possibilities first!

Have you done any deep water crossings in your Trol?? I had to have my starter re-conned about 8 months after returning from a Moremi Trip, where it saw a lot of deep water. The symptoms were initially very similar to yours. I somehow convinced myself that it must be the battery, because it got to the point where I could only start the van using the winch override on the dual battery system . The new battery didn`t help though (Don`t know why I didn`t just get the battery tested ), so I had John at Rosmead Auto Electrical take the starter out, and he found that it was completely rusted up and full of mud and gunk!! Happily Trol starters are pretty tough, so with a good clean, a new set of bearings and new brushes the starter was quickly back in action. What a difference....it now spins up the 4.2 as though it was a 1300

Not sure which area you are in, but if you need an honest and reliable auto electrician (hard to come by in my experience) John at Rosmead Auto Electrical in Claremont is very good. (7 Rosmead Ave, Claremont. Tel: 021 671 0560).

Hope that helps?

[Russ Kellermann]

Hey guys, thanks for the response. I will definitely check the battery but unfortunately i don;t think its that, i hope it is though! No deep water crossings for my troll, and i have not had the need to pull it through mud or water deep enough to contaminate the starter.

My troll is still serviced at Nissan, even though it has 110 000km on the clock, and because i have an extended warranty, i'd like to keep it serviced from the stealers, even though i can do all the services myself, i know it will help in the event of a possible resale (dare i say that).

I'm going to take it John at Rosmead Auto Elec , he's not far from me as i live in Tokai, i'll see what he has to say before i open anything up or take it to the dealer.

Thanks for the contact

Russ

[Russ Kellermann]

VERY IMPORTANT:

I forgot to add that it only does this when its cold (ie: mornings) When the motor is warm it starts without the click clack etc

[AndriesS]

on my 4.8 I cleaned the starter and haven't had a squeak from it since. It had plenty of clutch friction material in it and the planetary gearbox was dirty and grease was a mess.

[Russ Kellermann]

How do i clean it,? remove and strip etc?

[AndriesS]

Remove and strip.

Removing was easy (I think I used a 14mm socket). The one bolt was hidden from view but I managed to get it out. Once out stripping was easy. I only remove the front part and did not touch the brushes, I think it was either 2 or 3 long screws holding the starter together.

[Russ Kellermann]

Ok cool, i may give that a go, although i'm not sure its cause of dirt, won;t harm to inspect and learn while i'm at it thou. Thanks

[Herrie]

Hi Russ, any feedback on this?