Subject: Starting woes '89 100Q

[C1J1Miller@aol.com]

Frank Stadmeyer wrote:

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My wife informed me that she was having difficulty starting her '89 100Q.

Sure enough I went to check it expecting to find battery problems.  Instead

 it appears the starter is the culprit.   Sometimes the starter will engage

and spin the engine briefly before disengaging from the engine while the

starter continues to turn.  Try it again and it may work fine.  Another

attempt and it may just spin without engaging the engine.  



Anybody BTDT?  My guess is the bendix or the solenoid.  Are these available

separately?  Am I better off just getting a rebuilt and from where.  Who's

got the best prices.  How long can I expect to be able to get it started

before it craps out completely?  The thought of someone else driving my '91

200Q  while I work on the 100Q is less than appealing.
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Couple things to check initially:  make sure the copper ground on the starter
is intact; it typically corrodes and looks fine; give it a tug and check it
with a meter...
Then check the voltage you're getting at the starter.  Could be the bad splice
in the battery to alternator cable (see archives, or my site).
I had a similar problem with my '91 200q; got a bosch rebuilt unit at Pep Boys
for under $120 (in stock, with core return), with a lifetime warrantee.  And,
no downtime with the car (buy starter, remove yours, install (took me an hour
max), return core).  The problem with my starter was a cracked piece of
plastic inside the starter; it made expensive noises while the car was
starting, but still worked.  (Could be due to the heat of the turbo just
above...)  Easier to fix than to later replace a flywheel due to broken off
teeth...  Electrical shops wouldn't quote prices to fix without first seeing
it, then wanted it for a day or two (one basic estimate was $80; pretty close
to $120 considering the guarantee).
HTH, Chris Miller, Windham NH, c1j1miller@aol.com
'91 200q  => http://members.aol.com/index.html