Clicking from the bulkhead

[andrewdmoore]

Tried to start the Elan Sprint a couple of days ago. As the battery ran out of juice the starter stopped turning & there was just some loud rapid clicking from the bulkhead.

I presumed there was not enough juice to turn the starter so I charged the new battery, but still there is the clicking & the starter wont turn. Ive rocked it in every gear, bump started it & took it for a 10 mile run but when I got home I still couldn't use the ignition key.

All advice appreciated, thanks, Andrew

[ppnelan]

Andrew,

Sounds like your starter motor is dead, or jammed, or you have an electrical problem.

I had a recent problem when a screw fell out of the side of my (reconditioned exchange) starter motor. One of the iron plates inside got jammed against the armature which made it turn very slowly at first, then stopped it turning altogether....

I find it easiest to keep a (hopefully) good spare one 'in stock' so that I can change it & get going again, or isolate the problem. The broken one can then be sorted out at a later date...!

Good luck!
Matthew

[chicagojeff]

Andrew, that's the starter motor. You need a new one. Don't mess around, get a good reduction gear one and put that problem to rest forever. I wrested with the same thing for a while, the got a Gufstafson and never looked back.

jeff

[1964 S1]

Sounds like a starter problem to me too but I'd make sure one of the wires isn't loose before I buy a new starter. Lousy ground connections create the same problem as you're having..

[ElliottN]

Andrew, The clicking is the starter solenoid - implies the problem is downstream - either wiring to or the starter itself. Ensure the lead from the solenoid to starter is sound, that the connections are good, and that the starter is well grounded (i.e. tightly bolted up). Now - switch on the headlamps (OK - unless your headlamp cutout switch doesn't work like mine you'll have to get one or both of them up manually as you'll have no vacuum) and hit the starter. If the headlamps dim but you hear no sound from the starter - the starter motor is taking current but not turning so something is seized in the starter or is jamming the starter - e.g. pinion jamming on ring gear. If the headlamps do NOT dim, problem is an electrical fault in the starter or starter circuit. All this (and more!) is explained in the workshop manual (Electrical Equip, M.3 - Starter Motor) - enjoy. At the end of all this if you eliminate the starter circuit/solenoid as the problem and the pinion is not jamming on the ring gear - the starter comes out and your next decision will be whether to
1. replace it (most people will recommend a new gear reduction starter)
2. continue with the workshop manual steps for testing/overhauling the starter motor - either you or an auto electrician.
These days unless #2 appeals to your sense of adventure and/or bank balance, #1 is quick and not too financially painful.
rgds,

[M100]

#1 is quick and not too financially painful.

.....until you find out it was a dodgy crimp costing all of 10p to fix

[Dave-M]

or a duff earth from battery to chassis in the boot
Dave

[1964 S1]

LotusDictionary: dodgy crimp = duff earth = lousy ground?

[andrewdmoore]

Thanks for advice so far recieved.

I installed a brand spanking new starter and still get the same clicking noise from the solenoid. Can the solenoid be duff?

The thing that's really puzzling me is that originally everything was fine until the battery started to run out of umph, then the engine started to turn slower until it stopped when the clicking started. So I thought that just charging the battery was the solution as my Excel does exactly the same thing.

[lotusdelta]

i agree with the above posters...check the ground in the trunk...its under the spare tire...this seems to be the source of 90% of all problems...i always starts there. ..good luck
72 elan sprint coupe

[andrewdmoore]

Checked the boot earth. I did actually clean it all up a couple of years ago anyway & it still seems fine.

I can't see this suddenly start playing up just cos a battery runs out of charge.

I'm still erring of the side of a solenoid fault - are they easy to fix?

[Hamish Coutts]

Andrew,

Solenoids are not expensive and easy to replace. Have you tried shorting the solenoid terminals to see if the starter turns? You can use a jump lead. It'll only take a minute.

If the starter operates it's a faulty solenoid - or a faulty earth to the solenoid.

Hamish.

[andrewdmoore]

Hamish,

Would that involve simply peeling back the rubber on the 2 connections that have the fat cables attached and connecting the jump cable to the two exposed bolts?

Thanks for your help, regards, Andrew

[M100]

You could do it the crude way with a hefty screwdriver across the big solenoid terminals - but it tends to make a big spark which is unnecessary and it can weld on and make a really big mess.

You really ought to get a multimeter, it makes testing things like the solenoid really easy and would have saved the expense of the starter motor. They are about a fiver from Maplin's.

In the meantime dab a wire (thin stuff will do - around 2-3 mm diameter) from the small push on terminal on the solenoid to the terminal on the solenoid that connects to the battery cable.

If the solenoid still clicks then its either a bad battery, a bad solenoid or a bad earth to the solenoid. If the clicking stops then the problem is in the wiring from the ignition switch.

Going back to what I said above, the proper logical tests to diagnose this circuit would take about 1 minute with a multimeter and a helper to turn the ignition key.

See the last message on this page:

http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12513

[Hamish Coutts]

Andrew,

Precisely that.
Connect one end of the jump lead to one terminal on the solenoid then 'touch' the other end of the jump lead to the second termnal.

There will be a few sparks to say the least. Harmless though - as long as there is no petrol close by!

Hamish.