1993 240 wagon ignition problem

mike240 · Post by **mike240** » 29 Mar 2012, 18:23

My son started the vehicle in gear without engaging the clutch. The car lunged and stalled and now the ignition won't turn at all. Something smoked for a bit under the hood, he didn't check what it was. All the lights come on, all fuses look good, including the main and ignition fuses under the hood. Other than a slight ticking sound at the ignition coil, nothing else happens. The starter doesn't turn or click. Any help in diagnosing would be appreciated.

Post by **JDS60R** » 29 Mar 2012, 18:45

Sounds like the starter or its solenoid failed under high load. Should be a simple repair but i will let the 240 guys chime in on the best way to test and replace.

Richard-Bundy · Post by **Richard-Bundy** » 29 Mar 2012, 23:34

could be the old ' starter stuck on the ring-gear'
put in neutral, handbrake on, key out of ingition so you cant hurt yourself, then try gently tapping the starter / solinoid with an object such as a hammer. dont hit any wires or such.
seperately, in second gear, with handbrake off, try rocking the car back and forth.
if it was a stuck starter, either of these procedures could unstick it, then car will start normally.

most cars should start 'in gear with clutch out' if you give enough throttle. so what happend was probably a simple stall, so i cant think of what could be damaged, unless the ignition was left on for a long time after the stall or some other factor.
regards
Richard

mike240 · Post by **mike240** » 30 Mar 2012, 07:25

Thanks for the responses. Update: Car will start and run if doing a push/ roll start but still no starter action, no crank still from the key. I'm thinking starter solenoid? How do I test? How do I access it? from the top, or underneath car? It seems buried and hard to access.
Thanks.