Aim: Dismantle solenoid and self starter.

Clean and inspect all

components. Reassemble,test and record preocedure.
Material required: - screw driver ,ring spanner ,soldering rod,
spanner, wire brush,multimeter.

Theory: What to Check:

1. Check if the battery has some charged. Measure the voltage
across the terminals, it should be approximately 12.5 volts. If not
charge it first with an external charger. If you have a hydrometer,
measure the specific gravity of each cells, it should be around
1.25 . If not charge it. After chargin,. installed it back. Ttest it
again but this time you should have a tester to measure the
voltage of the battery as you switch on the ignition key switch. If
the voltage that you read drops dramatically as you start the
engine, then we could say that we have a problem with the
battery or it did not charge at all for some reason.
2. Check the wiring for some loose connection. Check also the
battery terminals and the negative or ground terminals. You might
need to clean and tighten the connection of terminals or may be it
is better to replace some of the burnt wires.
3. Check if there is a positive voltage in the control wire terminal
of the solenoid, that is going to the key switch or relay when the
ignition switch is activated.( referring to starter parts figure ). If
no voltage then you have a problem in the electrical circuit of the
vehicle. May be busted fuse, key switch or some loose connection.
4. If there is voltage and still problem persist , may be its time to
remove the starter assembly and open it to see if there is a
problem inside. Most likely the problem is in the carbon brush, the
solenoid or the motor it self. So you have to open and see for your
self.
Steps to open the starter:
1. You have to remove the starter from the engine. Be sure to
remove one of the terminal of the battery to avoid getting

electrocuted or short circuit of the battery. Remove all the wires

connected to the starter assembly and remove it to its mounting.
2 . Make some markings on the motor. One at the upper cover
where the carbon brush holder is attached and one at the bottom
part. The purpose of our marking is to avoid confusion when it is
time to re- assemble the starter. Make sure that the marking will
not be erased by all means or we will be at lost.
3. Remove all the screw and bolts on the upper cover including
small screw for carbon holder. Slowly remove the upper cover.
Remove the two carbon brush attached to the stator assembly.
Make sure to put a marking on the carbon brush holder ( see
picture below ). You can now slowly remove the stator assembly.
After that you may end up like in the figure ( open starter ).
4. Now you can thoroughly inspect all the parts you see. In most
cases if there is a problem you can see it as soon as you open it.
Some problems that you may encounter are some burned part,
damage commutator, bearings or bushing worn out, sometimes it
only needs some cleaning due to carbon deposits that hinders the
performance of the starter, and already short carbon brushes.
Replace the carbon brush if necessary, you may need to solder
some of the connections.

Check the commutator for damage or worn out. If it is good then

just clean it. You can have a fine sand paper to help you remove
some stains in the commutator. It is best if you have compressed
air to blow away the carbon dust deposit in the stator and
armature assembly area or use some kind of soft brush to remove
those sticky sludge for all corners of the field coils.

5. If everything is clean and good assemble it back. Remember

there are marking so you wont get lost.

6. In our case we need to replace the solenoid assembly because

its been damage for some reason. Be very careful on choosing the
right solenoid for your starter. There are so many types or kinds
of solenoid out in the market. Sometimes you have to look out for
the model of the solenoid written on the body of the solenoid. In
some instances you need to bring the old one to compare it as
you try to select which one is the correct one. Here are some
samples of solenoid you can find in the market. Besides the
physical appearance you have to consider the voltage of the coil.
It is usually 12 volts or 24 volts.
In some cases you will find it hard to loosen the screws of the
mounting of the solenoid because of the rust and dirt in the
screw.All you have to do is spray a little bit of penetrating oil and
let it be for couple of minutes and try again. If still not successful
then you have to apply some force in it by using some kind of
chisel and try to hit the bolt or screw head counter clockwise with
the help of a small hammer. Not so hard you might end up
damaging the mounting. But still you can not remove it then you
will just have to try to grind the head of the bolt and pull the
solenoid assembly. This time you have to replace the bolt with
new one.

After you installed the solenoid assembly, we are now to test the
starter. Follow the wiring in the figure below. After connecting the
wiring of the two big terminals in the picture and control wire to
the coil on the left side. Connect also the negative terminal of the
battery to the body of the starter assembly. We can now finally
test it, just take the control wire and jog it to the positive side of
the battery. It should push the bendix gear and rotate the gear. Be
sure to hold it firmly when you try to start the starter. If every
thing is good then you can install it back to the engine.