323 Wags wierd problem

[Guest Speedstar]

Ive just acquired a 323 Rwd wagon with the 1.5 and 5 speed, but it has a wierd problem - every so often when you go to start the car, (cold or warm) the engine turns over as if the battery were flat (very slowly) and will not start, but if tried a few minutes later she starts fine, would this be a faulty solenoid or starter?

[Gaz]

Is it a pre-engaged starter motor?

If so the solenoid is integrated with starter motor.

Three posibilities?

1. poor battery connections so can't get enough currwent through the connections to satisfy the starter motor requirements

2. Inside the starter motor, pre-engaged type, there is a set of high current contacts that transfer the current from the battery to the motor itself. If these contacts are dirty or not enough prerssure on them, then they will be the same as a poor connection and not pass sufficient current

3. Its a fault within the starter motor itself......this is quite likely

[Gaz]

Sometimes the windings inside the motor will short together and then you get high currents circulating in the motor itself. The effect is that the drain from the battery is enormous but it's not doing any work, just heating the starter motor up. Un-economic to fix when this happens....get another from wrecker

[Guest Speedstar]

Thanks, I thought it maybe something like that, but just wanted to be sure.

As these starters have to be taken out from under the car, which is going to be a bitch with the amount of oil this thing leaks.

[Snoozin]

Yeah Starly's got the same issue, have traced it to the starter but I just put up with it for now lol.

[Leebo3]

Maywell just be a dodgy battery happened with the falcon, when it was road worthy and going those were the days.