TECH TIP FOR NOVEMBER, 1999

A RETAIL CUSTOMER BROUGHT IN THE STARTER OFF HIS "4 WHEELER TOY', SAYING THAT INTERMITTENTLY IT WOULD JUST CLICK. HE HAD CHECK "ALL" THE WIRES AND COULDN'T FIND ANY THING WRONG. NOW, FIRST OFF IF THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, THAT MEANS SOMETIMES IT WORKS PROPERLY, IF YOU CHECK IT WHEN IT'S WORKING PROPERLY, I'LL BET YOU CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG!

THE CUSTOMER WANTED HIS STARTER CHECKED AND A NEW SOLENOID INSTALLED, BECAUSE HE WAS SURE THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I TRIED THE STARTER ONE MY TEST STAND ENOUGH TIMES TO GET THE SOLENOID VERY WARM AND IT WOULDN'T FAIL. ONCE DISASSEMBLED, THE STARTER WAS ALMOST NEW INSIDE, AND I WAS VERY SURE THAT NEITHER THE STARTER OR THE SOLENOID WERE THE PROBLEM. "THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, BUT HE'S ALWAYS THE CUSTOMER," SO I OBTAINED AND INSTALLED A NEW SOLENOID. THE STARTER DID NOT APPEAR TO WORK ANY BETTER THAN WHEN IT FIRST CAME IN.

THE CUSTOMER CALLED BACK ABOUT 2 HOURS AFTER PICKING UP THE STARTER, COMPLAINING THAT IT WAS DOING THE SAME THING. SOMETIMES IT WOULD JUST CLICK. HE HAD CHECKED AGAIN THAT HE HAD POWER ON ALL THE NECESSARY WIRES, INCLUDING THE SWITCH WIRE. I ASKED HOW HE HAD CHECKED THE SWITCH WIRE, AND WAS TOLD THAT HIS WIFE HAD HELD THE KEY TO START, WHILE HE CHECKED THE WIRE WITH A MULTIMETER.

WE CONTINUED THE DISCUSSION, WHICH WENT ALONG THE LINES OF I'M NOT RETURNING YOUR MONEY AND I'M NOT INSTALLING ANOTHER SOLENOID UNTIL I'M SURE THAT THERE IS NOT ANOTHER PROBLEM. I FINALLY SUGGESTED THAT HE PULL THE SWITCH WIRE OFF THE SOLENOID, AND USE A SCREW DRIVER OR SOMETHING LIKE IT, TO SHORT DIRECTLY FROM THE MAIN BATTERY CONNECTION TO THE SWITCH TERMINAL. ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER HE CALLED BACK AND SAID THAT WHEN HE DID THIS THE STARTER FUNCTIONED PROPERLY AND THE "4 WHEELER" WOULD START.

THIS APPARENTLY PROVED TO HIM THAT THE SOLENOID WAS BAD BECAUSE IT REQUIRED TOO MUCH CURRENT TO ENERGISE IT! I SUGGESTED THAT WHAT WAS REALLY HAPPENING WAS THAT, EITHER THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS NOT TRANSFERRING ENOUGH POWER OR THE WIRING WAS BAD. HE WAS NOT HAPPY WHEN HE HUNG UP, BUT TO HIS CREDIT, WENT BACK AND REPLACED THE WIRE FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH TO THE STARTER SWITCH TERMINAL, AND THEN CALLED BACK TO TELL ME THAT HIS "4 WHEELER" STARTED EVERY TIME.

AFTER THANKING ME PROFUSELY, HE HUNG UP AND I GOT TO THINKING THAT THIS MAN HAD JUST SPENT $95.00 AND A LOT OF TIME HAVING THE SOLENOID REPLACED, WHEN IT WAS NOT THE ANSWER. THE ONLY SAVING GRACE, IS THAT HE CAME TO ME FOR AN AFTERMARKET SOLENOID, BECAUSE THE OEM UNIT WAS OVER $200.00, NOT INSTALLED.

I'VE HAD PEOPLE COMPLAIN THAT IT IS TOO HARD TO FIND MY SHOP. BUT SINCE RETAIL IS 10% OF MY SALES AND 90% OF MY HEADACHES, MAYBE I SHOULD HIDE IT A BIT BETTER, BECAUSE THEY STILL SEEM TO FIND ME.

SOMETIMES IT IS NOT ONLY THE RETAIL CUSTOMER, WHO IS SUFFERING FROM BRAIN STALL. ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO I INSTALLED AN OVERHAUL KIT, DRIVE AND SOLENOID IN A BOSCH STARTER OFF A BIG TRACTOR FOR A FARM WHICH IS LARGE ENOUGH TO HAVE THEIR OWN FULLTIME MECHANIC.

ON THIS DAY HE CALLED AND SAID THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE STARTER, BECAUSE WHEN YOU TURNED THE KEY, IT WOULD JUST GRUNT AND MOVE THE ENGINE BUT NOT TURN IT, BUT IF THEY BOOSTED THE TRACTOR IT WOULD START. I COULDN'T GET HIM TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS TELLING HIM THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM OTHER THAN THE STARTER. HE DID SAY THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS WORKING ONCE THEY GOT IT STARTED. THIS IS ANOTHER CASE OF "IT TAKES TOO MUCH POWER FOR THE STARTER TO TURN WITHOUT A BOOST".

WHEN I ASKED WHEN THE TRACTOR HAD LAST BEEN USED, I WAS TOLD THAT IT HAD BEEN ABOUT 3 WEEKS BUT THIS HAD NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM IN THE PAST, AS THEY HAD LEFT IT FOR MONTHS AND IT WOULD STILL START. THE MECHANIC TOOK THE STARTER OFF (AN ABSOLUTELY HUGE JOB), AND BROUGHT IT IN. WHILE I WAS TAKING IT APART I ASKED HIM WHAT THE OPEN TERMINAL VOLTAGE OF THE BATTERIES WAS. WELL, HE HADN'T CHECKED THAT. BUT IT MUST BE GOOD BECAUSE THEY WERE ONLY ABOUT 18 MONTHS OLD. I HAD HIM CALL BACK TO THE SHOP AND GET SOMEONE TO CHECK THE BATTERIES. WHEN THEY CALLED BACK AND SAID THAT WHEN THEY CHECKED THE VOLTAGE BETWEEN BATTERY POSITIVE AND THE GROUND, THEY HAD A READING OF 9.1 VOLTS, I STOPPED TAKING THE STARTER APART AND BEGAN PUTTING IT BACK TOGETHER. IT TURNED OUT THAT ONE OF THE GAUGES HAD A SHORT IN IT AND WAS DRAWING THE WHOLE PACK DOWN TO THE POINT THAT THE TRACTOR WOULDN'T START.

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