Crazy battery.....super secret start mode..solenoid contacts

[Guest Frag]

I'm not sure about that but looking at the plunger and seeing that it's a copper disk mounted at the end of a rod, maybe just rotating it a bit would change the places at which it hits both contacts on each side (180°) of its circumference. It woud then amount to having a new contact disk.

[Guest TinyClark]

Gilles,

 

I told Josh that if he put the plunger in a drill and spins it, he could clean the disk up real easy. The hard part are the contacts.

 

Tiny

[Guest Legacy777]

yeah.....I'm just goin to do that. I'll buff it up.....it should hopefully be good

[Guest EOppegaard]

Another thing to try and prevent this is get some batter spray on protectant, after cleaning the terminals the sprat helps keep the corrosion from comming back. I have a dual batter setup in my 93 legacy wagon with a on board battery charger, its a good little investement for keeping the battery in peak condition.

[Guest Legacy777]

I've done that.......it helps.....however i pretty much have zero corrosion because I have a sealed battery.

 

I did use the little brush thing and clean up the connectors though.....

[Guest Legacy777]

Man......I sure hope those contacts show up soon.......it's been in the low 30's here in Houston.......Car has not wanted to start......It didn't like me this morning......

[Guest intrigueing]

Josh, where are you getting the contacts? How much are you paying? My subaru dealer wants like 30 bucks for them and I could have the whole starter rebuilt for like 50 bucks (but it would take 2 long trips to the auto electric shop). It has been like -20 here (for real!) and the ol' subie does not like that! I do not feel like doing this job in the cold, but -60 degree windchills are not a time to be stranded! I am thinking when I pull the starter I will try cleaning and shimming the contacts - if it does not work, I will get the contacts from the dealer, unless I can get the contacts for cheaper through the mail and just replace them. Does anyone know a way to see if the starter contacts are working without putting the thing back in the car? (and without taking the thing to a shop with a tester.) Josh let us know the details when you fix yours.

[Guest WAWalker]

Get the contacts before pulling your starter. They will need to be replaced. What happens is one contact is hooked to battery + the other to the starter motor. When the solinoid slams the big washer down on the contacts the one with power arcs. So over time that contact wears faster than the one connected to the motor and the contact sufaces aren't on the same plain. The washer will hit the motor contact but not the power contact. Thus cilck but no start. I will all make sense when you get it appart.

 

Anyway, replace the conntacts (make sure when tightening them that they stay flat so the washer isn't just hitting the high edge), And shine the washer up with a scotch brite pad or file or somithing.

 

Good Luck

[Guest Legacy777]

A buddy got them for me here

 

Auto Battery & Electric

1515 SE Hawthorne

Portland, OR 97214-3718

(503) 238-0888

 

 

Or you can check this page out

http://4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml#OnlineOrdering

 

"Contacts "A" and "B" are a direct visual match of what goes in the starters on your & my automatic Subies. Manuals use a different starter, don't know what kind of contacts they need."

 

This is from my buddy about the starter solenoid contacts in our auto tranny starters.

[Guest Frag]

Pictures of the contacts look almost identical to the contacts I bought for my manual Legacy's starter solenoid. The "legs" are a little more symetrical though.

It's the price they'ere asking that I find incredible. I paid the equivalent of about 13$ US for both contacts plus plunger and contact disk.

And the way the guy was trowing the contacts on the counter was like they were 50cents a dozen.

I even have three of them because when he realized he had put the wrong one on the counter first he just let me keep it not to have to bring it back to the store room!!!!! He would certainly not have done that if they were 7$ US each.

[Guest intrigueing]

Thanks guys for all your help, this post saved me. I got both contacts for 6 dollars from an auto electric place here. Turns out my local dealer buys the contacts from this starter rebuild shop, throws them in a bag and marks them up 24 dollars. The whole job took under an hour and the car likes the new contacts. The plunger disk cleaned up easy. The nuts holding the contacts were a little loose - probably causing some of the problem. Thanks for all the advice and knowledge here, and if anyone needs starter info, I would be glad to speak from my experience.

[Guest Legacy777]

Sounds good, glad to hear it was easy to do. I'm hoping to do mine thursday at the latest......traveling out of town can definitely put a damper on any automotive work......

[Guest Legacy777]

Finally did this today.....WOW......it's good to have a car that actually starts on command again!!!

 

However it wasn't without it's little problems.

 

I spent more time trying to get the starter out......The bottom side of the starter was covered with grease from the cv axle......just absolute nastyness.

 

Plus, the car is lowered now......so I had to jack up the driver's side front......so I could squeeze underneith to get at the bottom bolt holding the starter on.......then wiggle it up through the mess of wires and such. So I finally get that done......have a bit of scratches and scrapes on hands......and slimey.......then spray the starter down with brake cleaner.

 

I make a goof and pull the bolts that house the motor portion....well the brushes come off.....so I set that portion a side....take the solenoid portion apart.......the contacts were TOAST!! I'll take some pics tomorrow when I clean up my tools and such. The plunger is pitted a little....I sanded a tad.....didn't get nutty though. The contacts were a little different for the one....but it fit and I put it in.....I didn't care at that point.

 

So I bundle it back up.....put the motor portion back together.....put it back on the car......put the lead goin to the pos on......and have to undo it again to fit the long bolt on......

 

But I get all done.....she starts every time.......I did this all while it was raining like crazy...and a cold front moving through under my covered parking space......so I just wanted to get it done......I didn't care any more......

 

I really didn't clean things up as well as if I had a garage and proper place to work.....but it works.

 

I'll try and get pics of the disintegrated solenoid contacts......

 

It was really bad.....I was having to play the turn the ignition key on/off really fast for a while just to get it to start.....

[Guest Cougar4]

Glad you got it Josh.

 

Glen

[Guest Legacy777]

Well here are some pics of the contacts. As you can see the one is toast, it's about half way worn. The other one was so-so.

 

I would've liked to get pics of the setup, however it just wasn't possible due to the circumstances.

 

Tinyclark sent me a word document with pics of the setup.....I'll post that up too when I get some time.

 

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru/images/startersolenoid1.jpg

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru/images/startersolenoid2.jpg

http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru/images/startersolenoid3.jpg

[Guest Legacy777]

Here's a word document from TinyClark with pics of the contacts in the starter, the plunger, and the associated stuff.

 

(please right click and save)

www.main.experiencetherav...tarter.doc

[Guest Legacy777]

Goin to archive this unless anyone has any further discussion.