Starter motor problem?

[fudnie]

The car (03 S2 111S) started fine this morning, but when I went out for my lunch turned the key, all the dash lights came on but no starter. Jammed starter me thinks, so rocked the car in gear no joy, work colleague came over to tell me I shouldn't have bought such a stupid car so I put him to work helping me rock it. Eventually it started.
Trying to get back from lunch I had no joy and no colleague, but a kind volunteer helped me bump it. I got back to work.
home time - dead - bumped it down the hill.
at home - still dead.

Is my only option to jump start the starter until I can replace it, or is there something else I can check?

Any and all help appreciated

[Rich H]

Does it click-click-clik or just dead?

Could be a stuck solenoid?

[r10crw]

The starter signal goes to a plug on top of the starter. Disconnect this and check if there is power coming through when you turn the key. Hopefully this is a yes in which case its either the moter or solinoid. Next looking at the starter you will see the main live feed (ie thick red wire) goes to one contact on the solinoid the other contact then feeds the motor, these will be ring terminals. You need to short these out with a screwdriver or something similar, if the motor engages you need to look at the solinoid. Ive had it where you can strip this down and clean the contacts but never done it with the elise.
If you do not get power then ic ould be a failed relay in the engine control module or a problem with the immobiliser.
Good luck.

[tut]

Presume that you have got lots of time off out there in Aukland at the moment Craig waiting for spares, so have been reading the manual.



tut

[r10crw]

Ill have you know that at no point in the manual does it say to take a "big screwdriver" and short out the contacts
Incidentally Ive actually lost my elise manual and only got the 340r specific, it would be great if it arrived at my email, craig@wallacecaravans.com. Not hinting or anything

[tut]

Sort it out for you tomorrow. Did you get my mail reference Ian Wilson?

tut

[fudnie]

Does it click-click-clik or just dead?

Could be a stuck solenoid?

dead, but I had the engine running, would this not mean the solenoid would have to detach

[robin]

When the engine is off, the ignition is on, the immobiliser is disabled:

If you turn the key to the start position, you've said the lights go dead and the dash dims. It's at this point we were wondering if the starter motor made any clicking or clunking noises.

Are you sure that the battery is not just flat?

If you had a multimeter you could measure the battery voltage while the engine was running - if it comes up at 13-to-14v or more then the alternator is charging the battery; leave it running for 30 minutes and then switch off; measure battery voltage (should now be high 12's to low 13's). Now try and crank the engine.

Craig is right, but a few notes of caution:

(1) the starter will turn over when you bludgeon it with a big screwdriver, so make sure you're in neutral.
(2) there are no fuses in the starter motor main circuit - you can draw 200+Amps through that cable - this is more than enough to melt the flesh off your hands if you accidentally short circuit the screwdriver to earth somewhere - it will get very hot and weld itself to any suitable metal - so be careful only to short out the two studs on the back of the starter and not anything else.
(3) if you pull the spade connector off the middle terminal (it's actually the lower terminal on my car), then use a short length of wire to connect from the big stud that's to the right when looking at the back of the starter to the terminal you pulled the spade connector off, the starter will also turn over without needing the big screwdriver).

Good luck!

Cheers,
Robin

[r10crw]

Yeah Tut thanks for that, probably call him at the weekend meet up for a bbq.
Robin you make it sound dangerous mate but your correct, be careful.

[BiggestNizzy]

Today my starter stuck.

I couldn't here a click but it seems to have sorted itself out (for now. I doubt it will last) got home tried it again and got a click and nothing tried it again and it fired up.