Occasionally, when I try to start the car I get a whirring spinning noise, but the engine does not turn. Usually on the next attempt everything fires up. The problem will be with the coil or starter motor, but where should I start? Is it likely that a bit of grease in the right place could make things connect?
TIA
The message from "DP" contains these words:
Certainly not the coil - that's ignition. It's the starter motor.
You don't say what the car is (probably a good idea to tell us sometime
- it makes thing rather easier) but there are two basic sorts of starter.
Both types have to have some arrangement to engage the pinion with the big gear round the edge of the flywheeel. One sort relies on inertia in the pinion to make it whizz up a steep thread till it's engaged, the other sort pulls it into place with a solenoid.
The first sort is more prone to the symptoms you describe - the thread's got sticky so the pinion's not moving. Grease will only make it worse - indeed it may be caused by oil flung off the edge of the flywheel from a leaky oil seal. Take it apart and give it a really good clean.
The second sort has a lever operated by the solenoid which pulls the pinion into the gear a split second before making the electrical connection to spin the motor. As you can imagine, it's unlikely that this sort will spin without engaging. There is a clutch provided in the starter motor shaft of this sort to prevent the engine driving the starter, but they're very reliable.
The only other possibility is that you're missing a tooth on the starter ring on the flywheel.
Or that there is an electrical problem that does not give enough juice to the starter, I had this on an old granada, an extra relay cured it. Could also be knackered battery, battery leads, earth leads, loose starter, faulty charging, battery discharging overnight, dodgy ign switch etc.
What vehicle? year? engine size and type? all will help diagnosis.
And if its a bloody Ford Fiesta you count a ring gear in too.
JK
Sorry. I meant solenoid. In certain circles a solenoid is a coil.
It's a '95 Cavalier 1.7 TD.
Interesting that you mention faulty charging. The alternator isn't charging the battery. I will fix this before tackling the starter. Thanks for the ideas.
Being pedantic, in motoring circles, 'coil' on it's own means ignition coil. Mike.
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