relutant starter

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happychap
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relutant starter

Post by happychap »

my sons 1.9 bx diesel j reg has been having trouble starting ,ie, somedays it will start every time,no trouble, for days on end, then now and again it seems reluctant to get going,just as though the battery is going flat,although he had a new one last week.he switches off waits a minute then turns the key again the thing races over and starts straight away.he has done all the usual checks ,earth , solenoid ,etc, now hes scratching his head ,dont know where to look next. someone has said the wire from the ignition swich which goes down on to the starter solenoid is in 4 pieces along the bulkhead and could be a bad connection along there, anbody got any ideas
ray
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

exactly that wire !
- next thing would be to replace the ignition key switch. Commonly the contact set for the starter burns out. May be prevented using an extra relay taking off the large currents from the ignition switch.
Allready knowing where the wire is on the starter solonoid - try a direct connection to battery (plus pole) - when it won't start.
alan s
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Post by alan s »

There is a plug that goes under the battery carrier on teh petrol models that can & often does get corroded. It has to be removed, contacts cleaned & refitted. The big black flat plug near the battery can also require cleaning up occasionally. These are both on petro cars but I see no reason for diesel to be any difference.
If you have no luck there, then I'm afraid the starter has to come out. I had a similar problem (not on a Citroen) a while back & it was found in that instance that oil & grit had found its way on to & into the starter & had contaminated the solenoid, carbon brushes & windings.
It wasn't all that expensive to just take it to an Auto electrician & have it properly cleaned out & new brushes fitted. The thing to remember though, is that if this is the case, find & repair the oil leak before refitting the starter to prevent an almost immediate recurrence of the problem
Alan S
happychap
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Post by happychap »

many thanks will pass this on and await results ray
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Post by algieuk »

Mine was like that....I replaced the leads from the battery to the starter, and to eart. The cast connectors form a resistance joint at the battery end. Look to see if there is any sign of overheating where the cable goes into the lug. My Xantia is just the same. I replaced my BX cables with arc welding ground cable and it was fine thereafter. Took me a year to find this out.
happychap
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Post by happychap »

he has cleaned the plugs and connections under the battery box and so far ,touch wood seems, to have done the trick //
i await with bated breath ray
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