E30 Zone

It's getting more frequent that when I turn the igniition I just get a click and no starter motor action. Eventually it kicks in but sounds a bit wierd, completely different from the one on my b20 engine. So just a dying starter motor or something more sinister?

does it happen when the engine is warm, i have this intermittent issue but only when the car has been on a run then parked about 10 mins had it happen twice if i leave it to get cold it starts, in the garage being looked at couldnt get it to happen all day when i went to collect it .... it wouldnt start so they are diagnosing it now eliminated alarm imobiliser and starter motor looking to replace some relays will let you know what cured the problem may not be the same for you

Any chance of provoking the fault so you can get a video of the issue? if we can hear the odd noise then might be able to suggest something.
Wouldn't like to guess otherwise as it could be too many things.

"when I turn the ignition I just get a click and no starter motor action". There isn't supposed to be "starter motor action" when you turn the ignition on - I presume you mean when you turn the key to the start position.
Is this when you get the click?
What do the warning lights in the instrument cluster do when you turn the key to start?
If you leave the interior light on, what does that do when you a) turn the ignition on, and b) turn the key to start.

if what Brian say is ok it might be the starter solenoid

Obviously I mean when i turn the key to the start position, and this is when it clicks. Can't answer the other questions at the moment as I don't have the car but one thing I forgot to mention, which can't be coincidence, is that the battery has been draining very quickly since the starter problem began.

Ah, does it do a "tick tick tick tick tick" really fast?

If so that's the starter solenoid firing with not enough power to turn the motor (for whatever reason).

Cloggy Saint wrote: the battery has been draining very quickly since the starter problem began.

Sure it's not the other way around? The starter motor problem began when the battery started draining quickly.

Ok, full story. Since completing the engine swap from 2.0 - 2.5 about a month ago I noticed from the off that the starter was very occasionally a bit slow to react to the turn of the key. Didn't really take too much notice of it until about a week ago when it became the norm that the starter didn't engage and just clicked. On Sunday I was working on the car for about 4 hours, all the time with the doors open and stereo on. When I went to start it the battery was very weak and only just fired the car up. Drove home expecting it to be charged and good again but Monday morning it was the same, just enough juice in it to start the car (after a frw failed attempts with the starter) and the same Monday evening and this morning. This is a varta battery and no more than 2 years old so should still be good.

I have learn that the 325 battery is a fair bit bigger than the 320 one, how much difference it makes is a bit unknown but I had the smaller one on mine and did find it started to get tired and lazy.
It was only with the change to the bigger battery (same manufacturer/type) that I noticed how lazy/poor my cranking has been the whole time.

How many wires are connected to the outer large terminal on the starter solenoid?

There are 2 wires on the outer terminal. 1 red and 1 black I think. I'm more concerned with the dead battery. Tonight I needed a jump to get the car started. I suppose the first obvious culprit would be the alternator. Is there a test to see if it's good or not?

Cloggy Saint wrote:There are 2 wires on the outer terminal. 1 red and 1 black I think.

Just checking that the alternator is actually connected to the battery. you wouldn't be the first to have connected the alternator output to the inner terminal.

Start the engine, turn on the headlights, rev. the engine to about 1500 RPM, and check that there is at least 14 volts across the battery terminals. If not, remove the air filter assembly, then remove the regulator pack from the rear of the alternator, and check the length of the brushes.

Cheers, I'll try that tomorrow.

The brush pack an diodes are about £14 so if your going to the trouble of fishing them out you may as well just replace them while your in the bay.

Obviously only worth taking them out of the alternator if it is not giving ~14v though.

I charged the battery overnight and then drove to work. checked it with a multi-meter and got 12.8v @ 1500rpm with the lights on. left it for 5 hours and checked again and it still reads the same. This is a bit low, yes?

Very low. Get the regulator pack out, and if one of the brushes is short, and showing signs of arcing on the end, give it a gentle pull, to straighten out the braid that retains it.
Refit it, and measure the voltage again. If that's cured it, you have a couple of months to fit a new one.

i had similar problems with my car the problem was the battery was to small for the car i had it 6 years and it was bought for an 1.3 escort! so it gave up across the road one day from my local tyre shop which was handy!

i went in about a battery and he siad that one was far to small for it! so i got the biggest bosch battery they had that would fit! no problems since! even though the obc seems to be on all the time i thought this might drain it but no problems!