Starter issues

[Bender]

My X is slow at starting, warm or cold. The starter was new just about a year and a half a go. Bamboozled clocked my new battery ( one month old ) at just over 1000 CCA. Could this be a grounding or wire issue? How can I test that to be sure?

I figure I can check for loose wires, but is the battery and the starter directly connected with a ground? I ask cause maybe I inadvertently loosened or lost a connection when I put the new battery in. When I had starting problems starting before last years AW, it was determined that I needed a new battery as it was toast. Although I have a great new battery, the starting still is slow, like it's just getting enough juice to start.

Any ideas are welcomed.

Cheers
Jay.

[Simon]

Yeah, double check your connections on the battery, and the starter. There's obviously a trigger wire from the ignition switch, but otherwise, it should be directly connected to the battery for power. For the ground, it could go to a body ground location first.

[Bender]

I was tossed as to where the ground went too. Being as how it requires a bit of power I thought it might go back directly to the battery. Is that a possibility? If not I will have to search either way and see I guess.

[Bow_Tied]

When this problem has happened to me, 9/10 times it is corroded connections.

After replacing a battery and a similar slow/hard start situation, I replaced bmy battery cables and cleaned the connections at the starter/solenoid, the battery, and the associated ground wires. - Like a brand new car - started easier, faster, and better reading on my volt gauge when running and better charging. Not saying that is your issue, could be a dieing starter, but the replacing of any dubious connections and cleaning the remaining connections are what I have had repeated success with on different vehicles.. HTH.

[Bender]

Sounds fair, and was something I was thinking I needed to do with this issue. I have had a lot of water/mud in my engine bay back in the day, so this could be a real issue.

Soooo....as my garage is full with all my junk, who has a warm garage for me to check this out?

If not, I need help getting the Zook rolled out so we can be in my warm garage to work on this. We could also see why my interior lights won't come on when any door opens except the drivers door.

The X...she is getting old! Almost 190000 clicks on her. She runs strong but needs a bit of TLC.

[Simon]

I was tossed as to where the ground went too. Being as how it requires a bit of power I thought it might go back directly to the battery. Is that a possibility? If not I will have to search either way and see I guess.

It could go straight back....but I'm not sure. I haven't had the pleasure of toying with a starter yet..

[Scotto]

Hey Jay - if you bring yer plug-in garage heater with you, you can always come over here and we'll sort it out in my mammoth garage.

I have yet to get a heater - but with no wind, and your heater going, we'd be fine.

Scott

[nige]

you could check your inhibitor relay too. The suggest u change that part out when you replace your starter. I still have a little trouble with mine some days since i installed a new starter. It might be that part or possibly a dirty connection somewhere. I'll put up with it until the weather warms up or i am forced to investigate further

[Scotto]

I don't think Jay has an inhibitor relay, Nige.

[Jayman]

I don't think Jay has an inhibitor relay, Nige.

Classique!

[Bow_Tied]

Soooo....as my garage is full with all my junk, who has a warm garage for me to check this out?

If you are coming to London on a Saturday, I could set you up with a warm garage - just need some advance notice. I bet Ted (Avocado) would come out too.

[Pezzy]

You are also more than welcome to come out to Brampton... We don't have a nice warm garage, or even a garage. A nice icy cold driveway is what we can offer you. And we're not really there to help you by any means... we just want to stand around and point and laugh at you. Simon may be up to Googling the odd tidbit of information for you, but that will be from inside of the warmth of the apartment. If you're nice, we may let you in, and offer you a beer.

[Bender]

Hey Jay - if you bring yer plug-in garage heater with you, you can always come over here and we'll sort it out in my mammoth garage.

I have yet to get a heater - but with no wind, and your heater going, we'd be fine.

Scott

Sounds like a plan, but I doubt you have a 220 plug ready to accept my construction grade heater though? Perhaps we could purchase a crappy 110 version? I am off all this week, and the wife is at a convention in the T Dot until late saturday. You around at all?

[Scotto]

You be right - I don't have 220. Maybe I'll spin by Crappy Tire and see what they got - I've been to get one to make the space a bit better...

I'm busy this weekend - Jenn and are off to the big smoke Sat, and Sun is band practice. Friday I work.

I am around today (Thursday.)


Scott

[Snafu]

A friend around the corner has an insulated garage we use propane to heat (salamander and radiant heaters). If you bring a tank and let me know so I can ask we can swing by there. He is a licensed mechanic too. I have to stop by there and have him look at my front end for S&Gs.

I don't think the starter has a ground wire. It is grounded to the block. So I would first check that the battery has a good ground connection to the block (corrosion possibly) and that the starter is mounted tight (not worked loose). From there I would take the starer off and have it tested - parts source? If not there then bench test it with a battery (first the motor then the solenoid).

Let me know.

[Feds]

I've never seen a ground wire on a starter. The -ive wire from the batery terminal attaches to the fender and the block, and that's it.

Don't forget your volt meter. Check the resistance of the battery cable, see how many volts are available at the starter connection vs. the batery terminal, etc.

[Scotto]

I've never seen a ground wire on a starter. The -ive wire from the batery terminal attaches to the fender and the block, and that's it.

Don't forget your volt meter. Check the resistance of the battery cable, see how many volts are available at the starter connection vs. the batery terminal, etc.

Good advice. Jay's coming over tomorrow, and hopefully we can figure it out ...

Scott

[Bender]

[Scotto]

I'll let Bender do the recap for the day...

But I'll add this - for a liner on the concrete floor of the garage, I used an old carpet from my step-kid, who is 9. The carpet is an old car-track, with 3-D buildings and roads and stuff. Pretty cool, and fits hot wheels cars perfect.

Anyway, when Jay left I didn't bother to pick it up, and then Jennifer (my wife) comes home from work, stops her car in front of the garage, hops out, sees the hot wheels carpet, and looks up at me and says, "So, you and Jason played cars all day?"




Scott

[Bender]

Ok it was a successful day! Scott and I found that the main negative wire from/to the battery was severely corroded. The wire was green and black in spots, so we decided to replace it.


We went to the local NAPA in Elora, and what a treat that was! The guy looked at it ( the grounding wire) and asked if it was from a tractor!

Then after we told him from where it was from, he said they didn't have any thing like that there. Scott and I were able to piece a cable with an awesome quick disconnect for a total of $30.00 all in. That quick disconnect is awesome! ( pics tomorrow)

The X seems to start 70% better now. We took off connectors at the starter, steel wire brushed the poles, sprayed the poles, and reconnected the wires and that added what "seemed" to be up to 80% better above the beginning.

It has been a while since I had the X new, so I don't recall what it was suppose to start like, but it seems like miles of improvement over what we started with.


So big ups to Scott for his loan of a garage and time to help me today...thanks buddy!