Ferrari

The retractor clicks and the starter does not turn. If the starter clicks but does not turn, where to look for the cause of the malfunction. There is no power supply to the starter

And then starting the engine. During engagement with the flywheel (braking torque), the car starter takes on an electric current of about 350 A.

This device is designed for short-term operation; prolonged rotation of the starter significantly reduces its service life. Note that a fully serviceable engine starts from the starter almost immediately, without the need to rotate the crankshaft for a long time. In the cold season, up to 2 attempts to start from the starter are allowed.

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After turning the ignition key, the starter clicks, but the engine does not turn over with the starter

If the engine does not start from the starter, then there is a high probability of various malfunctions of this device. One common starter problem is that the starter clicks or hums, but does not turn the engine. In other words, the driver turns the ignition key and hears distinct clicks or a hum from the starter instead of starting the engine (the crankshaft does not turn from the starter). Next, we will look at the main reasons why the starter clicks, but the engine does not turn over.

The clicks that the driver hears when trying to start the engine are the clicking of the starter traction relay. The specified starter relay structurally includes two types of windings. One of the windings is called the pull-in winding, the other is called the holding winding.

The starter clicking when starting means that the clicks are coming from the traction relay. This happens because the retractor winding retracts the relay core, but as a result of the reduced voltage on the holding winding, the core releases.

The longer the ignition key is held in the “start” position, the more times the retracting winding will retract the core, and the holding winding will release it.

Such a malfunction is accompanied by the indicated clicking of the starter, which is actually clicks of the traction relay. Let us add that the traction relay (pull-in) has a similar design and operating principle on most vehicles, regardless of the make and model of the car.

The starter clicks or buzzes, but the engine does not catch: the main causes of the malfunction

If there is a malfunction that manifests itself in the form of clicks from the starter when the engine starts, then analysis of the nature of the clicks can indicate the causes of the breakdown. If the starter traction relay clicks constantly:

the battery is discharged, it is necessary to check the charging current;
you should check the tightness of the battery terminals;
there are problems with the “ground”, it is necessary to check the place of contact of the ground with the body or internal combustion engine, it may be necessary to implement additional demining;

If the starter clicks only once and does not turn the engine, then the following are possible:

insufficient fastening of the traction relay to the starter housing;
the contacts in the starter traction relay burned out;
the malfunction is due to poor ground contact;
the starter has broken down;

If checking the fastening of the traction relay does not reveal any abnormalities, then the starter relay should be removed for inspection. A dismountable relay means that after disassembling the device, it is necessary to clean the power contacts. The non-separable traction relay must be clearly replaced if a breakdown is detected.

The absence of malfunctions in the starter traction relay will indicate that it is then necessary to remove the starter itself for detailed diagnostics. Note that the starter clicks, but does not turn, both due to breakdowns of the starter retractor relay, and as a result of its own malfunctions. The most common are:

the power wire that goes from the starter windings to the traction relay may burn out;
The starter brushes have become critically worn. In this case, the brushes require replacement;
jamming of the starter armature occurs due to wear of the starter bushings. The starter bushings will need to be replaced;
a short circuit occurs in the starter armature winding, as well as a break or short circuit in the stator windings;

An element such as the starter bendix should also be mentioned separately. The Bendix may be deformed or the Bendix drive fork may be damaged. Another problem associated with the starter bendix is damage to its teeth. The bendix teeth are jammed, meaning that the device cannot engage the teeth on the flywheel ring.

The bendix is also connected to the retractor core through a special fork. The absence of engagement of the bendix with the teeth of the flywheel ring means that in this case there will be no complete retraction into the winding of the traction relay at the moment of switching on. As a result, the so-called “nickel” will not be able to bridge the power contacts of the relay to supply power to the starter motor.

How to check the starter traction relay yourself

You can check the starter traction relay with your own hands using an autotester. To do this, you first need to measure the voltage from the battery at the starter contact. After this, the tester probe is connected to the starter output, after which it is necessary to turn on the ignition and turn the key to the “start” position.

During measurements, you need to pay attention to the following: if measurements at the input show a voltage that corresponds to the normal charge of the battery, but when the traction relay is activated, the voltage at the output drops 2-3 times, then there is a high probability of burning out the power contacts of the traction relay.

If the traction drive malfunctions, the starter clicks and does not turn the engine. The fact is that burnt contacts cannot transmit voltage completely due to insufficient contact.

If the input voltage corresponds to the voltage of a charged battery and a similar voltage indicator is noted at the output of the traction relay, then the contacts of the traction relay are in perfect order. This indicates that the breakdown occurred in the starter. In the first case, the traction relay should be disassembled, after which the contacts should be cleaned, and the jumper plate should also be cleaned. A non-separable traction relay should be replaced with a new or known-good device. In the second case, you will need to remove the starter for detailed diagnostics and troubleshooting of the device.

Why doesn't the starter turn?

What to do if the car cannot start, and the starter does not respond, clicks, but does not turn or engage? Why can’t I start the engine when I turn the key? What are the causes of the problem? One of the main reasons why the device does not turn off is the lack of power to the mechanism. Perhaps this indicates a lack of the required voltage level in the network, which is due to the battery being discharged. If the battery is completely discharged or disconnected, the mechanism will not show signs of life.

If, when you turn the key, the starter does not click and the engine does not start, then first of all you need to check the quality of the connection of the battery cables. It is possible that the battery wires are not disconnected from the terminals, but are simply oxidized.

If this is the case, then there is no need to panic, you just need to follow these steps:

First you need to turn off the battery and disconnect the terminals from it;
using sandpaper, you need to process the internal parts of the battery terminals, you will also need to clean the battery contacts;
after this you need to check how charged the battery is - a charger is used for this;
further, it is necessary to diagnose the integrity of the cables, namely the wire intended to power the starter;
Having completed these steps, the battery terminals must be fixed as firmly as possible so that they do not become disconnected later.

Often one of the main reasons why the starter does not turn and clicks is a completely discharged battery. If the key fails to start the internal combustion engine, the mechanism may react and show some signs of life. In particular, when you start turning the key, you may hear that characteristic and powerful click, or the mechanism will be able to turn the engine, but only once. To solve the problem on a gasoline or diesel engine, try charging the battery - perhaps after this the power unit will start.

Every car enthusiast knows why a car needs a generator - this device allows you to transfer voltage to the on-board network and battery.

Thanks to this work, the battery is additionally charged, but you should not rely only on the generator, since it will not be able to fully charge the battery:

during charging, the battery must be in a calm state;
when the generator is running, additional load is placed on the battery;
when driving, the generator charges the battery in weak mode;
in any case, the operation of the generator will only partially restore the level of battery charge spent on starting the engine.

Accordingly, if the battery is completely discharged, you should not rely only on its charge from the generator. The best option would be to charge the device using a charger. As practice shows, the starter generally does not work, it clicks, but does not turn and the engine does not start precisely because of the battery. However, in some cases it happens that the problem is caused by incorrect operation of the internal combustion engine starting system. In this case, the starter itself may make sounds uncharacteristic of its operation.

If this is the case, and the car does not start for this reason, then you will have to spend more time identifying it.

Below is a list of the main breakdowns that prevent a diesel or gasoline engine from starting:

The mechanism could turn off or turn off periodically due to a short circuit in the network. As a result of this, one of the windings could burn out - thus, the mechanism could even smoke. In addition, a characteristic symptom of this breakdown is an unpleasant burning smell in the wiring.
Failure of the solenoid relay. This can lead to malfunction of the bendix. The mechanism itself refuses to contact the power unit.
The teeth of the bendix have worn out, and accordingly, this component cannot work and start the unit due to a lack of contacts.
There was a breakdown in the operation of the electrical circuit of the starter itself. One of the wires could have burned out or one of the contacts could have failed (the author of the video is NazipovValera).

How to solve the problem and start the engine?

How to start a car if the starter is faulty?

There are several options to solve the problem:

The most common is to start the engine using a pushrod. The car must be pushed until it can reach a certain speed required to take off, preferably in third or second gear. Only A car with an automatic transmission cannot be started using a pushrod.
Try closing the starter. To do this you will need a screwdriver as well as a wrench. The size of the key must be selected in accordance with the distance between the relay terminals - they will need to be closed. The gearbox selector is set to neutral, the brake pedal is pressed, and the key must be in the required position.
As a rule, the starter simply has to be repaired, but as practice shows, this mechanism can rarely be repaired. It would be advisable to make repairs if the bendix or relay fails. If the malfunction affects the electrical system, the device will need to be replaced.

Car owners often encounter an unpleasant situation: after turning the key in the ignition, you can hear the starter clicking, but it does not turn. The engine will not start. And the problem, as a rule, is not the battery or the lack of fuel in the gas tank. Without a properly functioning starter, further operation of the vehicle is impossible. There may be several reasons why it makes clicks and does not turn: from simple problems with contacts to serious breakdowns in the starting system. There are also many external signs of a problem.

Why does the starter click but not turn?

Components of a starter using the example of a VAZ 2114

Novice drivers are often mistaken, thinking that the clicking noise is caused by the starter relay. But in fact, the source of the sounds is the retractor device, which engages the Bendix operating gear with the engine flywheel crown and ensures its starting.

Note: the sound produced by the solenoid relay is practically inaudible. The mistake of many novice car enthusiasts is that they blame this particular device. If the relay is faulty, then the car starter will not work.

If you hear several clicks

Experienced drivers can determine by the nature of the clicks exactly where there is a malfunction. If you hear several clicks when you turn the ignition key, you should look for a problem in:

traction relay that supplies voltage to the starter;
poor contact between relay and starter;
insufficient contact of mass;
other starter contacts that do not fit well together.

The proper operation of the engine starting system depends on the normal functioning of each component. And it doesn’t matter what car you drive: Priora or Kalina, Ford, Nexia or another foreign car. Therefore, you first need to check the electrical connections, starting from the car battery terminals to the starter contacts. This often helps to start the engine, get to the nearest service station and conduct more detailed diagnostics of the starting system.

One click is heard

A powerful click and the engine not starting indicates a problem in the starter. The sound itself indicates that the traction device is working and electric current is flowing to it. But the charge force supplied to the retractor is insufficient to start the engine.

You should try to start the engine several times (2-3) with an interval of 10-20 seconds. If attempts are unsuccessful, then the following reasons are possible:

the bushings and internal brushes of the starter are heavily worn and must be replaced;
there is a short circuit or break in the winding inside the unit;
burnt contacts of the power cable;
the retractor device has failed and is blocking the start;
problems with bendix.

Faulty bendix is one of the problems

Bendix teeth may be damaged and prevent the starter from starting properly.

Bendix plays an important role in starting the internal combustion engine (ICE). It is part of the starting system and is located in the starter. If the bendix is deformed, then starting the engine will be difficult. Here are two common Bendix malfunctions: damage to the teeth of the working gear, failure of the drive fork.

The retractor and bendix are connected to each other by a fork. If full retraction does not occur at the moment of switching on, the teeth will not engage the flywheel. In this case, the engine does not start.

When the engine starts the second or third time, you should not put off visiting a car mechanic to service your vehicle. One day you will not be able to start your car, you will have to look for other ways to start the engine.

How to eliminate the causes of problems starting the car engine

Buying a new starter is not always justified. The old unit can serve for a long time. It is enough to carry out qualified diagnostics and replace faulty internal parts: bushings, brushes.

If it is not possible to deliver a faulty car to a service station, then it is necessary to remove the faulty part and take it to a mechanic. Only qualified diagnostics using special equipment can identify the exact fault. Repairing internal parts is much cheaper than buying a new part.

Usually repairs do not take much time. It all depends on the workload of the repairman and the availability of the necessary spare parts. It is better to contact a service that specializes in repairing electrical equipment for cars. If circumstances are favorable, you will be able to get behind the wheel of your car the very next day.

Troubleshooting using the example of the VAZ 2110: video

More information about fixing problems on VAZ:

model,
model .

If the starter clicks and does not turn, then do not panic. Check the contacts and electrical connections on the battery, starter, relay, ground on the body. Remember that 90% of malfunctions are hidden in poor contact. Try starting again, with an interval of 15–20 seconds. If you are lucky, it is recommended to quickly go to a service station for diagnostics. If you cannot start the car naturally, then try other starting methods. Or if you are confident in your abilities, do the dismantling yourself and then deliver the part to a repair shop.

Hello, dear car enthusiasts! The car engine starting system occupies a key position in the car, because the serviceability of its elements determines whether the engine will start.

The starter clicks but does not turn - video:

Nothing irritates a driver more than the silence of the starter in response to turning the key in the ignition. There are many reasons why a car won't start.

Starting from the banal disconnection of contacts, ending with the failure of the starter. External manifestations of a breakdown can also be different, and if you know the design of the starting system, you can quickly find a weak spot.

If, when trying to start, the starter clicks and nothing else happens, this significantly narrows the troubleshooting sector.

Clicking noises under the hood when trying to start are generated by the retractor relay, which is responsible for engaging the Bendix operating gear with the flywheel ring. Not very experienced drivers believe that such clicks can be produced by the starter relay, and they consider the solenoid relay to be the culprit of the breakdown.

If the starter clicks but does not turn, then this is not at all a reason to blame the “retractor” (as the retractor relay is briefly called), because current flows to it, otherwise there would be no sounds at all. And the starter relay makes clicks during its operation, but they are almost inaudible, so this sound cannot be confused with anything.

Why do the starter and retractor relays click?

A fairly large number of electrical appliances accompany their operation with a characteristic sound in the form of metallic clicks. Such sound is a sign that the device is working (at least partially).

All known relays use an electromagnetic method of connecting contacts. When voltage is applied, contact terminals located on flexible or movable brackets receive charges of different polarities and are attracted to each other. Moving with acceleration, the surfaces of the terminals clap against each other, which is the source of the sound. Experienced drivers are able to determine by sound which relay is working and whether it is working properly.

In order for the engine to start without problems, it is necessary that all elements without exception are operational. The engine starting chain involves the following parts and components:

egnition lock;
starter relay;
starter with retractor relay.

What to do if the relay clicks but the starter does not turn?

If the engine starting system shows at least some signs of life, then everything is not so hopeless. The main causes of the problem may be:

discharged battery;
poor contact or damage to electrical wiring;
ignition switch malfunction;
malfunction (lack of contact on the brushes);
Solenoid relay failure.

In order to quickly understand the current situation, you need to know how to behave. Considering that the only source of energy is the battery, it is often the battery that, due to discharge, is unable to crank the starter armature, giving all the energy only to the operation of the relay. Needs to be replaced or.

It is much more difficult to deal with a broken starter, because you will have to remove it, and this is not very convenient and you cannot solve the problem in five minutes. Once the starter is on the desktop, diagnostics can be carried out.

To do this you will need a battery, of which we are confident that it will work. It is necessary to connect the ground to the starter housing, and the positive terminal to the stud after the relay. If the starter works, then the solenoid relay is faulty. If it is silent, then you will have to disassemble it and look for damage inside.

The solenoid relay, like the starter brushes, is constantly active. It is not surprising that after some time it fails.

A small but very important component needs to be changed, because it may become the reason why one day your car will not start.

Nothing brought early cars closer to mass appeal than the invention of the electric starter: the starting handle was both inconvenient and unsafe. Over more than a hundred years of use, the design of automobile starters has been “polished” almost perfectly, but even now it causes problems. The most typical of them is clicking noises under the hood when starting the engine, but the starter does not turn the engine.

Starter design

Regardless of the specific design (geared/gearless, with or without a stator winding), the electric starter includes a solenoid relay. This electromechanical unit performs two functions simultaneously:

It pushes the bendix and drive gear forward, allowing it to mesh with the flywheel ring gear.
It relieves the load on the ignition switch contacts: the current consumed by the starter is large, and the solenoid relay allows you to control the starter using a relatively small current.

The design of the solenoid relay is simple: its body houses two windings of different power, which draw in (hence the name) the core. A fork is installed on the core, which moves the bendix through a lever, and at the end of the stroke the core closes power contacts (“nickels”) that supply power to the starter directly from the battery.
Two windings are used to reduce current consumption: more force is required to retract the core than to hold it in place. As soon as the core of the pull-in relay closes the “nickels”, the pull-in winding is bypassed, and only the holding winding works.

Causes of clicking noises when starting the engine, checking and solving the problem

Solenoid relay malfunctions

Thus, it is not difficult to think of reasons why the click of the retractor relay may not be accompanied by activation of the starter.
The simplest of them is power problems: dead battery, oxidized terminals. At the moment when the solenoid relay turns on the starter winding, a sharp drop in voltage occurs, and with it, in strict accordance with Ohm’s law, the current in the holding winding. The energy of the magnetic field is no longer enough to counteract the retractor return spring, and the core moves outward, breaking the starter circuit. Depending on the condition of the car and the battery, this results in either a single click from the starter or a “machine-gun burst” of clicks from under the hood.

Therefore, the first thing you should check is the battery charge, inspect the terminals on the battery and, if necessary, clean them. Having already guaranteed the supply of electricity “as intended,” we proceed to further verification.

Starter core

The starter core may simply jam inside the winding due to dirt or rust, which will also cause the starter to click. It is not necessary to have a decent mileage for this. For example, the author has seen this on RenaultFluence and Latitude many times on a new car. The “repair” here is simple: just rest a hard object (for example, an extension cord from a tool kit) against the body of the solenoid relay and apply a sharp but light blow to it. After this, the solenoid relay almost always restores its functionality without serious problems in the future and the clicks disappear.

The contacts of the solenoid relay have to switch a very large current - for example, a conventional kilowatt electric starter consumes more than 400 amperes at the moment of switching on, the starting current of electric motors is several times higher than the rated one. When the starter is turned off, a spark occurs in the opening contacts, leading to erosion - as a result, at one moment the relay is unable to supply power to the starter windings.

The treatment recipe here has been known since Soviet times - motorists knew firsthand about cleaning nickels. However, now cars often use non-separable retractor relays: in this case, the retractor assembly will have to be replaced.

If the holding winding breaks or burns out, the motor will not be able to start: as soon as the “nickels” are closed, the return spring, the elasticity of which is not counteracted by the holding winding, will break the circuit. At the same time, the holding winding will work again, and a characteristic high-frequency crackling sound will be heard from under the hood. You can check the condition of the winding even without an ohmmeter by removing the starter and connecting it directly to the battery (body to ground, positive power terminal to both retractor terminals, power and control). If you use a flat screwdriver to “help” the bendix to remain in the extended state, then the starter with a faulty retaining winding will spin smoothly.

The starter itself may also be faulty - the solenoid relay normally supplies power, but this is of no use. Most starters have a permanent magnet stator and only have a winding on the rotor. Wear on the commutator brushes or lamellas will result in the starter being unable to rotate under normal power conditions. Frequent, long attempts to start the motor can also cause problems: overheating of the stator and/or rotor winding will cause damage to the interturn insulation, followed by a short circuit and burnout of the winding.

The “old-fashioned” method of checking is very simple, and if the starter is sufficiently accessible from under the hood, it will not even require removing the starter. Carefully close the power contacts on the solenoid relay body with a screwdriver or wrench (attention - do not touch the ground!). In this case, power will go to the starter winding directly without the participation of a solenoid relay. In addition, this method is safe, since without the activation of the retractor relay, the starter will not engage with the flywheel, and there will be no risk of accidentally starting the car while it is in gear.

If the starter is turned on directly and spins without problems, then the retractor is to blame. The second “old-fashioned method” of final checking is crude, but no less effective in garage conditions: you need to try to brake the bendix of a working starter with a strong object (usually the flat side of a hammer is pressed against the gear). If the starter stops at the same time, there is a clear lack of power, indicating either an interturn short circuit or a failure of one of the windings, if in a particular starter there are several of them connected in parallel.

The use of widely used multimeters is ineffective: even the resistance of their measuring probes is often itself comparable to the resistance of a separate winding. The only thing you can count on is the possibility of testing the rotor to ground in search of short circuits. To do this, one probe is fixed on the rotor core, the second one needs to touch each individual lamella (contact plate) of the rotor in turn. There should be no short circuits to the housing here.

Mechanical problems

Rarely on cars with high mileage is it possible for the Bendix to simply stick into the crown tooth. Initially, both the flywheel ring gear and the Bendix teeth have lead-in chamfers, allowing the gears to mesh even if the Bendix tooth does not precisely fit into the gap between the flywheel teeth. Wear over time leads to dulling of the lead-in chamfers, and a situation is possible when a Bendix tooth rests against a flywheel tooth, preventing the retractor relay core from reaching the end of the stroke and closing the power contacts.

You can “revive” the car simply: either short-circuit the terminals on the solenoid relay so that the rotor turns to a different position, or, if there is no convenient access to the starter, turn the crankshaft itself by the generator or power steering pulley using a socket and ratchet. But this is an “emergency” method - you should not postpone repairs, since similar problems will continue in the future.

Video: How to check the starter, It clicks but does not turn

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