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Starter or relay solenoid?

Gil BullyKatz

NAXJA Forum User
on the new DD ('88 auto)

Decided not to crank over but was getting lights, fuel pump, etc. battery cables all looked good, etc.

crawled underneath and tapped the starter with hammer....started up

drove it for a few days then it happened again last night... tapping did not work this time but using the screwdriver at the starter worked just fine...

This means the starter itself is getting enough juice right?

so the relay should be ok right?

I just want to make sure before order a Mean Green...

That and I just got home from working a 12 hour overnight shift so my brain isn't working too good...

:speepin:
 
I had the same problem with my 88 w/ manual. I replaced the starter, problem went away for a few weeks and then my jeep would not start. I replaced the starter relay and problem went away. I opened the original starter relay to find the contacts were worn but still good. The post had gotten loose beacuse a nut backed off so the relay is still good. I was able to open the relay by bending the tabs back on the housing. I may have had two problems within a short amount of time; but sometimes all it took for me to get the jeep started again before I replaced the starter was a simple tap w/ a wrench and I was on my way. Other times involved cursing and trying again later.
 
langer1 said:
If it's a stock engine a Mean Green is a huge waist of money.


A gear reduction unit is easier on the battery when you have to use the starter to get over a bump.

Never said it was cheap.....just reliable.

Rev
 
Rev Den said:
Not 87-90.

Rev

The only real difference in the pre 90 starter and the post 90 starter is the rear bearings (bushings).

Both have planetary gears in there to increase torque.

The brushes wear and get short, the springs that push on the back of brushes have to push farther. The wires to the brushes are a bit stiff (they hang a bit). The carbon worn off of the brushes piles up.
A good wack with a hammer helps reseat the brushes, they get a better contact.
A leaky oil filter adaptor gasket can allow oil to seep down onto the starter and it can find it's way into the starter, coating the brushes and surroundings with oil. a good wack with a hammer can improve the brush contact a little and allow a start (maybe). Spraying out the back of the starter with brake cleaner and a good cleaning, then a small bead of RTV sealer around the rear end cap sealing surface helps.
I've found a replacement brush set for the starter cost about 1/2 the price of a rebuild. Since my first XJ in 87, I've never bought a new starter. Cleaned out the old one, replaced the brushes, perhaps a rear bushing. I've rebuilt (brushes/cleaning/lubing the planetary gears and replaced the rear bushing) more than a few junkyard starters as spares. It's easier to swap a starter out, than it is to try and clean the mud out in the boondocks.
If you reroute the wiring a bit so you have some extra length, dropping the stater is quick and easy.
The Bosch/Mitsubishi starter is a realy good design and seem to last almost forever. Other than the brushes (periodically) and an occasional overrunning clutch (rarley). I've never replace a solenoid, though I have opened them up and cleaned the rust out on a few, then coated them with vaseline and reassembled. The Vaseline was still fresh the next time I looked in there ten years later.
The newer version has a slightly improved rear bushing (bearing) and a different material for the planetary gears, most everything else is largely the same.
 
Last edited:
I can't sleep so listen.

A few years ago I woke up one morning and my xj wouldn't start. I rode my bicycle in the cold and bought a pos Ottozone and threw it in.

Still didn't start, then realized that in my garage the night before I accidently activated a hidden starter kill switch. :speepin: Well, I rebuilt the oem Mitsubishi, now have a spare starter in back that w/4.5" or so of lift can replace on my back, cool for ny to fl. trips.

Take 8muds advice and liquid proof it. Moreover, when I do oil changes I put a piece of plastic hefty bag (coldish motor, don't worry hot oil already drained) over the starter to keep it bone dry when changing the oil filter.

Then I went to the local electrical supply house (not homeless depot or lowes) and bought a rather expensive can of this 3M liquid electrical insulator and slathered it over all the electrical connections on the starter, effectively sealing them off from the elements. I use this stuff all over the place, it's like twenty $ per container, IMHO worth it's weight in gold...
 
Reading these posts, I thought I was missing something. I went back to original post and noted that the vehicle has an auto, not manual tranny.

No, with that established...how can a MG starter be advantageous? You can't move an auto "over an obsticle" on the starter alone like a manual, right?

I too have an auto ('89 Wagoneer Limited, 4.0L, AW4) and have never considered the MG starter due to it's cost and the fact I wouldn't be able to move the vehicle with the starter alone anyway.

Am I all wet?
 
The MG is built tougher with tighter specs...

is clockable...

and the bling factor is sweet!

:D
 
Question:

Everynow and then (95 XJ I6 automatic) I have to bang on my starter with a hammer to get it start. I love that I dont have to crawl under the car to do it, but I still need a friend to turn the key.

Is this a starter problem or a selenoid problem? Since technically, I am hitting both of them with the hammer.

What course should I take?

I am thinking of removing the starter, cleaning it all off, replacing the selenoid and then sealing it all up with that "contact sealent" that was mentioned.

Sound good to you guys?

Thanks.

No, I dont want to buy a MG starter. Just heading that advice off.
 
you shouldnt be hitting the solenoid with the hammer. if you have to hit it with the hammer its probably the starter motor itself is dirty or corroded inside. find an old one and take it apart, see what its all about inside, then rebuild yours, its not that hard, just sand off all the corrosion on the contact areas on the armature, clean out the housing real good with brakleen or some kind of solvent, and slap it back together, using a good quality sealant. you can find writeups online, most starter motors are the same the only difference is the size and the mounts, they are all based on the same basic design.
 
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