Starter removal

[abcus]

I bought a used 90 legacy wagon. Can I remove the starter from the top?

There seem to be a lot of hoses and wires above it. Does the solenoid come out with the starter ? I was hoping not to have to pull the starter off.

This what i have done so far.

 

Problems;

The solenoid clicks when you turn key to start position.

The key is so worn it can be pulled out of the slot with ease in most any position.

 

 

Trouble shooting:

I cleaned my terminals and grounds.

I held the key in the start position for 5 seconds and then felt the terminals for heat . They were not hot.

Battery checked at 12.6 v. and dropped to 11.8 v. when I turned the key to start position.

I think i remember reading 12.5 v. going from + battery terminal to large bolt on the starter.

When I put the brake on there is a clunk in the console.

When I run the shifter from park to neutral there is a click in the ignition assembly.

 

I tried to bypass the ignition switch with a wire to the smaller terminal on the solenoid going to the + terminal on the battery. It sparked a lot on the battery terminal when I touched it, but the solenoid clicked. However the starter did not crank the engine. I had the key in the on position.

I did not have the ignition wire hooked up at the time i put the bypass on the smaller flat terminal on the solenoid.

 

 

I tried to remove the plastic covering below the dash and around the ignition switch. i thought I had all the screws out. It would not come loose.

 

I tried to read the threads but there may be some I missed on this website. My thought is since I got a click only with direct connection to the solenoid I need to pull the starter. Is that correct?

Thanks for any help.

 

One last question . Do the starter and solenoid come off as one unit?

[bratman18]

Short answer, yes remove it from the top and it all comes out in one piece

[Scoobywagon]

Sounds like the starter isn't getting enough current. I'd meter at the solenoid line on the starter as well as the connection directly from the battery. Make sure that you're getting 12v at the starter at both the primary stud as well as the solenoid connector when the key is in the "start" position. If you get 12v at both positions then odds are you've got a bad starter. If so, pulling the starter isn't terribly hard.

 

I find that its best to pull the fuel lines first. Disconnect the negative terminal on the battery, then the postive run at the starter. Disconnect the solenoid. No you're down to one bolt and one nut. The bolt is on the top and its the easy one. The nut on the bottom is much harder to reach. Once you get it out, though, you can fish the starter out through the top. Sometimes it takes a bit of wrestling. No big deal, though.

[abcus]

Thanks for the help on the starting problem.

I could not get a wrench to take the bottom nut off the starter assembly.

Would I get into trouble if I make a direct short from the large lead on the solenoid to the small flat lead, close to it, to see if that clicks only or if it cranks?

Thanks,

abcus

[kudd]

If you do end up searching for a used starter remember that 5 speed ones are different than the automatic ones. Little something I learned by default one day.

[Hendrik]

I had 10 days ago the same behaveour , the click was there , but not turning the start motor.

The brushes where totally used , Replaced (not by myself) , all fixed !

[abcus]

I gave up and took it to the shop. At least I saved the core and maybe I can find brushes for the next time.

Thanks for the help.

[GeneralDisorder]

A box wrench is the easiest way to get to the bottom nut. A sugestion for next time perhaps.

 

GD

[abcus]

General Disorder,

The top bolt was so hard to loosen , I thought I might round the corners of the nut on the bottom if I used an open end wrench but i respect your advice. Would it be wrong to try to short across the solenoid leads to test it ?