Slow Crank / Solenoid?

My '91 XJ started to crank very slowly and now it doesn't start at all. Battery is good, everything operates like it is anyways, and theres no rapid clicking when I try to start it. Should I replace the starter solenoid? I have check connections, disconnected the battery connections and then reconnected. Is the solenoid easy to repalce?

If the starter motor was spinning slowly and the battery is good then it's probably a bad motor.

You can test the motor by connecting a jumper cable to the nut on top of the starter motor (reach down behind the distributor cap), and touching the positive battery terminal with the other end. If the motor is good it will spin up nice and fast.

If it's not the motor, check the condition of the power going into the solenoid.

1) Check the battery voltage under load.
2) Check ground straps.

ehall said:

If the starter motor was spinning slowly and the battery is good then it's probably a bad motor.

You can test the motor by connecting a jumper cable to the nut on top of the starter motor (reach down behind the distributor cap), and touching the positive battery terminal with the other end. If the motor is good it will spin up nice and fast.

If it's not the motor, check the condition of the power going into the solenoid.

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The nut that goes from the top of the start to the positive terminal? Doesn't do anthing.

Battery voltage drops to 12 volts even under start position. Volts set at 12.6 volts under no load.

The solenoid is a coil with a rod. You turn the ignition and voltage is applied to the coil, which pushes the rod out. When the rod comes out, it closes a contact between the battery and the starter motor, which causes the motor to spin. By applying battery voltage directly to the starter motor, you are basically bypassing the solenoid.

If you apply 12v directly to the lead on the top of the starter motor and nothing happened then the motor is fried or the battery is dead.

BTW there is only one wire coming into the starter motor, because the motor is grounded to the frame.

Try this - take a set of jumper cables, clip one end of a cable to the engine block (somewhere clean and relatively close to the starter motor) and clip the other end to the battery - terminal. Crank. If that brings up your craking speed, it's the grounds that want servicing. If it does not, suspect your starter motor.

Easy, and takes two minutes.

Got a new starter, got it in, and starts right up, no problems. Thanks for the help guys.

Crusher16 said:

Got a new starter, got it in, and starts right up, no problems. Thanks for the help guys.

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Cool. Bear in mind that little test for next time tho - I've found it comes in handy. Helps to localise the problem (and it's saved me having to buy a new starter motor and install it a few times...)

5-90 said:

Cool. Bear in mind that little test for next time tho - I've found it comes in handy. Helps to localise the problem (and it's saved me having to buy a new starter motor and install it a few times...)

Click to expand...

Yeah, I will. Thanks.