The starter does not respond to the ignition key rotation
During operation of vehicles, regardless of the type of engine installed, a common malfunction is starter failure, as a result it is impossible to start the engine after ignition. In other words, the car starter does not respond to turning the key in the ignition. In such situations, after turning the key instead of scrolling cloned ICE starter is completely silent, buzzes or clicks, but does not turn the engine. Next we will consider the main faults, when the starter does not react to the turn of the key in the ignition, as well as other reasons, which may cause the starter to malfunction.
Why the starter does not work
The starter of the car is an electric motor, which is powered by a battery and is designed to start a gasoline or diesel engine. For this reason, this device is characterized as mechanical failure, and problems in electrical power circuits or contact problems. If the car starter does not respond to turning the key in the ignition and does not make sounds (with certain problems, the starter clicks or buzzes), then the test should start with the following:
- determine the full charge of the battery (Battery);
- to diagnose the ignition lock contact group;
- check the traction relay (draws)
- check the performance of Bendix and the starter;
The ignition lock contact group can be checked very quickly. To do this, simply insert the key and turn on the ignition. Illumination of light bulbs on the dashboard will clearly indicate this, that the contact group is in working order, that is, look for problems in the ignition lock only if, if the indicated light bulbs on the instrument panel do not light up after turning the key.
In case of suspicion of the battery will be enough to include dimensions or headlights, then evaluate the burning of light bulbs on the dashboard, etc.. If these energy consumers burn very dimly or do not turn on at all, then there is a high probability of deep discharge of the battery. You should also check the battery terminals and the attachment of the "ground" to the body or engine. Insufficient contact or lack of it on the terminals or on the "ground" wire will lead to serious leakage current. In other words, the starter will not have enough battery power to start the engine.
Particular attention should be paid to the "minus" wire, which goes from the battery and is attached to the car body. A common malfunction is that, that the mass contact may not disappear permanently, and with a certain frequency. To eliminate it, it is recommended to detach the mass at the place of attachment to the body, clean the contact well, then try to start the engine again.
To check the battery on the car with your own hands you need to remove the negative terminal, then the multimeter to reconcile the voltage at the outputs of the battery. A value below 9B will mean, that the battery is discharged and needs to be charged.
The presence of characteristic clicks of the starter when trying to start the engine, which are also accompanied by a noticeable decrease in brightness or complete dimming of the bulbs on the dashboard, talk about it, clicking retracts the relay. The specified relay may click as in the case of a discharged battery, and as a result of malfunctions of the retractor or starter.
We also recommend reading the article about it, why the starter clicks, but does not turn the engine. In this article you will learn about possible faults, which cause the traction relay to click instead of starting the engine, as well as about, how to check the car starter yourself.
Other reasons, according to which the starter may not respond to the ignition
In some cases, there are failures of car anti-theft systems (car alarms, immobilizers). Such systems simply block the supply of electric current to the starter after removing the protection mode. The diagnosis shows the full efficiency of the battery, power contacts and other elements of electrical equipment, which are involved when starting the engine from the starter. To determine exactly, it is necessary to supply power directly from the battery to the starter, that is, bypassing other systems. If the starter is running, then there is a high probability of failure of the anti-theft system or car immobilizer.
The next element to check is the retracting relay. If it breaks, the starter can:
- completely silent, that is, do not make any sounds after turning the key to the "start" position;
- buzz and scroll, but do not turn the engine;
- multiple or single clicks without scrolling were cloned;
Bendix and draws
The above symptoms will indicate that, that the fault is localized in the retracting relay or the Bendix is not engaged with the flywheel. Note, that in the case of Bendixen a more characteristic feature is that, that the starter crunches and does not turn the engine. Also a common sign of starter failure is that, that the starter buzzes, but does not turn the engine.
To check the traction relay, apply voltage from the battery to the power terminal of the relay. If the engine starts to spin, then the obvious fault draws in the starter. Burning heels is a common problem. To remove, you will need to remove the heel cleaning relay. After stripping, you must still be ready for a quick replacement of the traction relay, as the contact heels are covered with special protection in the factory, which resists burns during operation. Cleaning will mean, that the specified layer is removed, as a result, it is difficult to predict the moment of re-burning of the pennies.
Now let's look at the Bendix starter. Bendix is a gear, through which the torque from the starter motor is transmitted to the flywheel. Bendix is mounted on a single shaft with a starter rotor. For better understanding it is necessary to understand, how the starter works. The principle of operation is, that after turning the ignition key to the "start" position, current is applied to the retracting relay. Retracts transmits voltage to the starter winding, resulting in Bendix gearing (gears) with flywheel crown (flywheel girth gear). In other words, there is a combination of two gears to transmit torque to the starter flywheel.
After starting the engine (the crankshaft begins to rotate independently) with a working starter the key in the ignition lock is thrown back, electric current is no longer supplied to the traction relay. Lack of voltage leads to this, retracting removes Bendix from flywheel engagement, as a result, the starter stops spinning.
Bendix gear wear means, that there is no normal connection to the flywheel crown. For this reason, a crack may be heard when starting the engine, and the starter can rotate freely without engaging and buzzing. A similar situation arises in that case, if the flywheel crown teeth are badly worn. The repair involves disassembling the starter to replace the Bendix and / or removing the transmission to replace the flywheel. To check Bendix yourself, you will need to close the two power contacts on the traction relay. Electric current will bypass the relay, which will determine the rotation of the starter. In that case, if the starter rotates and hums easily, it is necessary to check up quality of gearing of Bendix with a flywheel.
starter bushings
Failure of starter bushings is also a frequent breakdown. Starter bushings (starter bearings) are in the front and back of the device. These bearings are required to rotate the starter shaft. As a result of wear of bearings of a shaft of a starter the traction relay clicks, but the starter does not spin itself and does not scroll the engine. This fault is as follows:
- the starter shaft does not occupy the correct position on the axis;
- there is also a short circuit of the primary and secondary windings;
Such a situation can lead to this, that the windings burn out, power wires melt. Sometimes there is a short circuit in the car's electrical circuits, which causes a fire. In that case, when the starter clicks, but he does not spin, you cannot hold the key in the "start" position for a long time. It is recommended that you make several short-term startup attempts, since there is a chance, that the shaft will be able to return to its place.
pay attention, even after successful start of the internal combustion engine the starter needs obligatory and immediate repair after replacement of bearings. Remember, wedging the starter shaft may cause a short circuit and fire. We will also add, that the starter with problem plugs can work perfectly "on cold", but refuse to spin "hot".
If the starter does not turn hot or does not turn the engine well after warming up, then it is necessary:
- check the battery, battery terminals and power contacts. If the battery is working and before the trip was 100% charged, but then discharged, then check the relay generator regulator, generator belt, tension roller and the generator itself. This will eliminate the discharge of the battery and its subsequent undercharging in motion;
- then pay attention to the ignition system and fuel supply system, check the spark plugs. Lack of comments on the operation of these systems, which is accompanied by, that turns the starter badly when the battery is charged, will indicate a malfunction of the starter.
We also recommend reading the article about it, how to properly charge the car battery with a charger. In this article you will learn about the basic requirements and recommendations for proper battery charging, as well as about, how to charge a battery without a charger.
pay attention, the device is strongly heated together with the motor in the bonnet space. Heating the starter leads to this, that there is a thermal expansion of certain elements inside the device. After repair of a starter and replacement of plugs the specified expansion occurs with starter bearings. An error in selecting the desired size of the bushings can lead to wedging of the shaft, as a result the starter does not turn or rotates very sluggishly on the warmed-up motor.
Starter brushes and winding
Since the starter is an electric motor, the motor operates when voltage is applied to the primary winding from the battery through the brushes. The brushes are made of graphite, as a result, they are erased in a relatively short period of time.
Quite a common scheme, when after reaching the critical wear of the starter brushes electricity is not supplied to the retracting relay. In this case, the starter will not respond after turning the ignition key, that is, the driver will not hear the hum of the electric motor or the clicks of the starter traction relay. To repair, you need to disassemble the starter, then you need to inspect the brushes, which can run out of resources and require replacement.
The design of the car starter is also prone to wear of the winding. A characteristic feature is a burning odor when starting the engine, which will indicate a rapid breakdown of the starter. As in the case of brushes, the starter needs to be disassembled, then the condition of the windings is assessed. Burnt windings darken, a layer of varnish on them burns out. Let's add, that the starter winding usually burns from overheating in that case, if the engine is turned for a long time when it is difficult to start the engine.
Summing up, I would like to note, that the starter can be turned no more 5-10 sec, then a mandatory pause on 1-3 min. Ignoring this rule leads to that, that inexperienced drivers manage to put the battery and quickly burn a fully functional starter in that case, if the motor does not start for a long time. In this situation, the starter often needs to be changed, as qualitatively to rewind the burnt windings of a starter at the price it turns out not much cheaper, than to buy a new starter.
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