Help us help you. By posting the year, make, model and engine near the beginning of your help request, followed by the symptoms (no start, high idle, misfire etc.) Along with any prevalent Diagnostic Trouble Codes, aka DTCs, other forum members will be able to help you get to a solution more quickly and easily!
2010 kia forte 2.0 engine. Turn key to Start hear one solid click. Motor does not turn over. Battery was discharged due to sitting for days. Load tested battery showed good put battery on charger charged to 100%. Took starter motor hooked up to jumper cables while energizing the control circuit to starter solenoid. Starter motor pinion gear came out and spun good. My question is could the motor be worn so much so that it could not turn fly wheel? I was going to take to AZ to have tested. There is a p0014 in pcm stored and having problems car stalling and power issues but assumed car would still crank. Then the owner has a ignition interrupt with breathalyzer hooked up. When I was testing amperage draw key in start position the amps was bouncing all over the place. I appreciate any help you can give me on this matter. Thank you. Joe
Amperage will bounce around a bit due to compression strokes.
Check the battery voltage when the starter engages, most cars drop to 10v while cranking. That voltage will tell you whether the starter is actually loading up or not. Then if you load test your battery down to 10v it will show how many amps it takes to draw the battery down to 10v which would give an indication of how many amps your starter was drawing. You could also try doing your starter test with cables when it is on the vehicle, feed the solenoid terminal and make it pull in, that will bypass anything on the vehicle that could e interfering with it and show you whether the fault is at the starter or somewhere on the cut-out alcohol system.
Getting involved in discussions because I have a lot to learn still.
When I was testing amperage draw key in start position the amps was bouncing all over the place. I appreciate any help you can give me on this matter.
Was this observed on a scope, or on a DMM? Do you happen to have the scope capture available to post?
Fluctuating current during a no crank suggests to me that you were possibly looking at an open or high resistance in the starter motor itself. Either worn brushes or a bad commutator segment. Both will allow the solenoid to engage, but won't allow the motor to turn. The current jumping around is caused by arcing across the resistive connection.
By removing the starter, you may have temporarily fixed the problem. :silly: Kinda like tapping on the motor with a pry bar with the key in crank. If you're confident that there's no voltage drop across the starter B+/block ground, and that the engine turns with a wrench, then I'd say it's starter time.
Thanks for the reply. I can't do any tests now. Starter removed. Solid click tells me that control circuit is good. I am going to take to AZ to have tested. It is the original starter. The starter is buried most are so you can't even see it let alone run a jumper to s terminal. I can do it now from underneath to see if voltage stays constant on s terminal during start position. Being solid one click would tell be it will be good. I was thinking weak starter motor or engine is seized. Thanks for the advice.
That's what I was thinking. Getting starter removed was redicious. Some people take off 1/2 of upper part of engine to get access with rusty bolts ect didn't want to take a chance and break anything. The s terminal connector broke just crumbled plastic exposure prolonged heat. Have to get another pigtail solder on. Have to get started so can check vvt solenoid see if working scan tool and scope. I checked amperage with fluke inductive probe hooked to fluke dmm. Thanks Tyler for your help.
Would starter tester at AZ expose a weak starter motor?
I'm not sure? I've never been much for bench testing starters and alternators, TBH. Too many variables between what the 'tester' actually tests for, and whoever is running the tester.
Can't do voltage drop wiring and everything buried. Used to use carbon pile to check amperage draw but I got rid of mine along time ago. I now have midtronics exp 1000. Probably going to reinstall and see if problem still exists. Maybe see if engine seized. Thanks.
Can't do voltage drop wiring and everything buried. Used to use carbon pile to check amperage draw but I got rid of mine along time ago. I now have midtronics exp 1000. Probably going to reinstall and see if problem still exists. Maybe see if engine seized. Thanks.
That's what I was thinking, probably not a bad idea to put a big ratchet on the crank pulley and make sure the engine turns. I have seen locked up alternators, AC compressors and power steering pumps all stop an engine from cranking as well. So if it doesn't turn by hand, take the belt(s) off and try it.
That's what I was going to do next. Thanks for the reply. Owner said car running bad before it died been leaking oil and p0014. I was going to check oil level when I looked at vehicle first time. I was trying to tie the p0014 with no crank happened together same time but has been running bad before no crank and was thinking that the car possibly ran low on oil and triggered the oil control code timing was off possible internal engine failure. Hyundai/kia has had problems with engines in past and engine seized. Owner young kid going to check oil level and see if can turn crank. Seemed funny loud solid click usually starter motor bad and starter motor bench tested with jumper cables works fine and same time p0014 was hard fault and also pending dtc. Pcm was trying to tell me that but I didn't put the 2 problems together told him 2 separate problems. Will check out and update. Thanks again. Joe
If you're confident that there's no voltage drop across the starter B+/block ground, and that the engine turns with a wrench, then I'd say it's starter time.
In a nutshell,...what Tyler said.
Since there is an access problem to the BAT+ wire at the Starter when it is installed, while the starter is removed I would suggest to use a battery-load tester connected between the disconnected starter BAT+ cable and the engine block to do your voltage drop test. This should test the Starter cable and the engine block ground at the same time.
"Knowledge is a weapon. Arm yourself, well, before going to do battle."
"Understanding a question is half an answer." I have learned more by being wrong, than I have by being right.
Thanks everyone for the advice. I went today to look at car. I couldn't even get a regular socket over crank pulley too tight. Maybe take passenger side tire and wheel liner off? I checked oil and none showed on dip stick.
