o.k. starter is bad, but why? - with video

[RazorRacer]

Related thread with sound bite.

video

3MB video file of starter on test stand. In the video, the starter pushes out, turns, and pulls in. It is repeated showing the volt meter where the volt meter jumps to 12 volts and drops back to 8 volts then goes to zero.

The guys at AutoZone said the starter should hold 14 volts and drop to zero, therefore the starter is bad. But why? What is happening to make it bad?

A new starter is on the way so it's not about that. It's about understanding how the car works.

[stormcrow]

If you have the opportunity to keep the old starter, take it apart and check it out. You may find bad brushes, worn shaft gear, or other worn parts. It's amazing how much you will learn from doing this.

Steve

"A Porsche does more then just go fast in a straight line"

[Mike Feinstein]

Just be glad you don't have a G50. I had to remove the swabar, disconnect the throttle linkage and lower the tranny about 6" to get the upper bolt out to replace my starter a few weekends ago. What a PITA!

[RazorRacer]

Mike, that's good to know in case I ever think about a G50 upgrade.

Storm, good idea. I'll take it apart and see what it's like. I'll post a few pics, too.

Guys, is it o.k. to use wood to cover the starter hole and drive the p-car about 500 miles in a day? Can anything be damaged doing this?

I'll start the car by pushing it.

[boyt911sc]

RazorRacer,
Do you have the starter out of the car already? The best way to solve your problem is by process of elimination. I would bring the starter to a shop to have it bench tested. Make sure that the starter has good solenoid, carbon brushes/commutators, etc. Then inspect/test your battery for connections, ground, cable, etc.

I had similar problem like this in the past and was solved by good ground cable connection. Good luck.....

[PORSHIN]

I couldn't get your video to download but I will say this. You can't test a starter properly with a voltmeter. What needs to be used would be an ampmeter. The starter should be on the engine and using the ampmeter, you check how many amps are drawn by the starter. If the amperage draw is too high, you know that something is either shorted internally or that there are bad shaft bushings etc. . Testing with a voltmeter can be flawed by bad wiring connections, a weak battery, bad switches, etc, . Also, though it may be different in your area, auto zone doesn't usually hire the best technicians...or technicians at all for that matter.
Rob
ps You can drive it with no starter without worrying about anything. Just make sure you have the wiring terminals well insulated and tied up where they can't get tangled in anything.

[Superman]

You're not going to run your car without the starter, or at least not easily. The fuel pump must be running in order for it to start. The fuel pump probably runs, during starting, via the cold start system. I think that is the reason for the extra wire at the starter. Otherwise, there is no great danger of running without a starter. Unless a starter mounting bolt also holds the tranny to the engine.

[PORSHIN]

Super is right...you will need to put the bolts back in and may need spacers where the starter was. I'm not sure on an SC but on a Carrera, the fuel pump isn't powered by the starter wiring. It's power comes from a relay which is turned on when the DME receives a signal from the crank sensor. It may be different on an SC though.
Rob

[RazorRacer]

Guys, thanks for your input. I have another thread going about how to connect the terminal wires since no one was answering this one about the long drive.

Basis that thread, I am going to connect the black & red wires together and connect the two yellow wires together. I am also going to make a wood cover for the starter hole. The two (2) 10mm hex nuts will go back over the studs.

Are there any problems doing this?

[Jim Sims]

RR, You need to have the upper starter barrel nut back in place on the upper starter mounting stud as this is one of the four fasteners which couple the engine to the transmission bell housing. If you use the wood cover this nut should not bear on the cover (notch the cover around the nut/stud) but instead on a metal bushing or spacer (you can make one from a piece of steel tubing). This spacer should emulate the thickness of the starter flange. It would be easiest to just put your old starter back on but not connect the wires to it but connect them as I mentioned last night in the other thread. The fuel pump relay is energized during starting from the start contact of the ignition switch; the fuel pump relay power does not go through the starter but branches off the circuit before the starter. The fuel pump relay is not in series with the cold start valve. Once the car is running and air is moving through the induction system the fuel pump relay gets power via another circuit (through the air flow switch). Jim