96 850R 225k miles No start, no crank RESOLVED - starter

[regent]

Right!

[ojdorson]

Great, thanks! That's exactly what I need most right now!

[ojdorson]

So, my adventure continues. I got a starter switch and hooked it up to positive battery and to the green wire, And when I pressed the starter button, nothing happened. No noise, or anything.

I got a large heavy stick, a rod if you will, and I pounded on the starter with it. After that, when I press the starter button I got a click from the starter. Just a single click, a loud one, and nothing more.

I'm guessing this indicates that the starter is bad. I mean, more than guessing. So I think it's safe to order a starter motor and replace that and then expect my car should work fine. Anything thoughts, or confirmation?

[regent]

The audible click is from the working solenoid pulling in the armature. Before condemning the starter, please check the voltage on the starter terminal (the smaller of the two studs with nuts where the bare braided wire is). This is the switched power to the motor. You should read zero while the solenoid is not being triggered, and something very close to battery voltage when the solenoid closes to connect power to the starter motor.

If, with a closed solenoid, you still read zero or next to zero, then you have a bad solenoid. If the reading is good but the starter does not budge when you close trigger, then it is a bad starter. Note that due to the current draw from the starter, the battery voltage may drop down to 11.0 volts (dash dims slightly) which is normal during cranking in cold weather, but it should not drop under 10.5 volts. If you see less than that - you may have the power supply problem similar to what I hinted about earlier. (I am not second-guessing the recent head job but I would inspect the wiring path very well. Things happen.)

It is not unusual for a failed starter to draw an excessive amount of current and load the battery down. In your case, it looks like there is no draw from the starter since the 'dimming' is very slight.

[chaddonaldson]

I have a similar problem with my 2000 V70, I was driving when I realized my speedometer was sitting at 0mph and my mileage read dashes instead of numbers. I pulled over to turn it off thinking the computer might need reset and when I tried to restart it the lights would dim but it wouldn't even turn over, no grinding or clicking or anything. The solenoid is what I'm thinking the problem is but any advice would be helpful

[regent]

...my speedometer was sitting at 0mph and my mileage read dashes instead of numbers...
...The solenoid is what I'm thinking the problem is but any advice would be helpful

I would say you should look for something other than a bad solenoid. It appears that loss of power is causing the no crank condition and spedo/odo misbehavior. When you address that, you may find that your starter is working again (as is everything else)

[Pauloil]

I'd really like to get the car started and moving under its own power... then I could get it into the garage and do the repair in relative comfort. Today's temp is 5º!

Any ideas, guys? Thanks!!

yeah, what is the battery voltage?

[ojdorson]

yeah, what is the battery voltage?

It's fully charged - I've tried jump starting the car and I've had a charger on it for over 24 hours. I've isolated it to the starter (or the starter solenoid) and ordered a replacement from FCP Groton. I'll throw it in this weekend and get it back on the road - fingers crossed.

[ojdorson]

Forgot to update...
The problem was the starter. Replaced that with a new one and the car fired right up. I was hesitant to replace it because there was no noise from it or anything, and there had been no indication that it was going bad.