FTO AUSTRALIA

My car will not start???!!!

I know that it is not the battery, because the electrics and lights are working perfectly (and there is no tapping sound).

My old man thought it might be that the bender is stuck?, he told me to put the car into second and push it forward and backward... Nope, that didn't work either.

What happens when i try and turn it on is that it gives like a humming sound... not loud or anything. Do any of you have any ideas as to what the matter is???

Hope you can help

Thanks
Cohn

Sounds like your solenoid is cactus!!! But make sure the battery terminals are connected properly first ie "clean contacts", and battery is fully charged. Not sure if solenoid is built into starter motor or on the side of it - if its on the side give it a light tap with a hammer handle and see if that works. If it does work u know the solenoid is on its way out so replace it as soon as u can. If its built into the starter motor just try tapping the starter motor a few times and try again...... Good luck

Hey i have a little more info, any more ideas???

Just went to check it out again today. From what i hear, when i turn the key, the humming sound is actually coming from the exhaust area of the car... like the back half??? IT sounds like there is a little motor spinning maybe?, but nothing is actually catching????

BTW Kazbah, where is the starter motor, how am i meant to find it or tap it???

Thanks again

Cohn

That humming noise is your fuel pump. Should be working fine if you can hear it =P

Is the engine trying to turn over when you turn the key to ignition or is it just dead?

Could be the starter motor, sometimes giving it a slight tap with a hammer may help.

M@

no madFTO, just nothing is happening, and if it is the fuel pump behind, then there is definately no sound going on aside from that...

Where is the Starter motor??? where do i tap it...

Info please, i'm dying to go to the gym!!!

Thanks
Cohn

Ok Cohn, the solenoid is seperate to the started motor but is bolted to it. If you look under the front of the car, smack bang in the centre where the exhause pipe comes down from the motor, you will see a small red plastic cover over the positive wire on the solenoid, connected directly to it is the starter motor. Give both a tap and see what happens... Good Luck

Kaz

Hope it's not the alternator, they are a bitch to get to and expensive

Kazbah is on to it...
But it will only be the starter if the noise you hear happens when you turn the key to start.
BTW it might need more than a light tap, but dont dent it or it will stuff it.

And if all else fails, and I accept no responsibility for damage or injury, short the terminal on the solenoid (red wire from battery) to the terminal it connects to on the starter. ie bypass the solenoid.
If it still makes the same noise then the clutch in the starter (think its called a ring or pinion gear or something) is stuffed. This is a centrifugal clutch that engages and disengaes the starter with the flywheel as the starter spins up, often associated with that grinding noise when trying to start but can cause similiar symptoms to stuffed solenoid.

YAY Kazbah, LEGEND

Fixed, with a little tap on the solenoid... Or as my old man keeps calling it... the Bendix.

Thanks for the help, these forums do make the world of difference.

Cohn

I love happy (and inexpensive) endings

Dunno about inexpensive.
It will keep playing up until the tapping trick doesn't work anymore, so you gotta get a new one. Hopefully it is removable or you will need a whole new starter.
Sometime better to find someone to rebuild it for you. Think most auto leckies can do it.

Spose you're right, sounds like it's got him going at least though

My pleasure Cohn, all in a days work But u will have to replace it soon or it will die for good. Glad to have helped... My work here is done

I don't suppose there's any chance that the solenoid can be seviced can it? In the old days (I've got an old Mini too) you could take them apart and clean the contacts and lubricate the moving parts. The chances are it's a sealed unit, but worth a look.

Lol, shite!

Worked the first time, then i went to movie with GF, happened again, had to tap it... At least it started up again. Yesterday i went to work, same deal, died out, and then had to tap it.

Just gave my car up for the major 100k service. My mechanic just called me up telling me that the Solenoid is gone. He can't even start it by tapping on it.

So crap. Looks like this isn't going to be inexpensive. Anyone know any good places in sydney where i can fix them, or even tell me what i need, part number's etc... I really don't know how to go about this!!!

Thanks again for all the help, hope there's more!!!

Cohn

Dude I hope you know how to use a spanner, or at least got a set....
else they gonna say it expensive just cause you got a nice car.
If you can pull it off yourself it would be better, otherwise get the mechanic to do it.
Use the yellow pages and call around for an auto electrician that can rebuild it locally and just drop it off. Dont think it should cost more than a hundred bucks to rebuild, just dont tell em what its off, or they'll try and rip you.
Should get it back next day if they're not busy and no problems...
Good as new and still pretty cheap if you can do the labour.
Go down and show your mechanic how you tapped it, funny how it broke right when you dropped it off to him, maybe he needs the work.