Thread: Falcon ute starter solenoid

The hammer hit could have been a coincidence. Maybe it was going to start anyway.

My BA Falcon ute gave me troubles like this. I replaced the starter with a new one. They’re automatic and you can’t push-start them. I didn’t want to take the risk, but maybe I should have been more considered before doing so.

If you have the time you could put some effort into discounting other issues. My experience was what I assumed to be the battery. I hollered for a Marshal and wasn’t happy with the price, but with the new battery in place, the car started. (That could have been a coincidence.)

The next day I was getting ready for work and the car wouldn’t start. I called Marshal thinking it was a warranty issue with a dodgy battery. The guy tested it and said it was okay. Hmm.

I might have replaced one of the battery terminals. Could have been a bad connection. It started. Then a few days later it wouldn’t start. Getting frustrated. Did I need a new battery in the first place? Maybe there was nothing wrong with it. At this point, I decided the problem was the starter. I replaced it and the problem went away.

In hindsight, I should have checked the rest of the wiring to the starter. After replacing the starter I wondered if maybe there was just a grubby connection to the starter and that was the whole problem, but I just jumped in and replaced the starter. Removing and replacing would have attended to any loose connections. I missed that opportunity.

I found replacing the starter to be one of the biggest pains I’d come across in years. I think there are only two bolts, but one of them is in a nearly impossible place to get to.

Chev small blocks and big blocks used to get "Chev starter motor disease" in that they sometimes would not start. Cause was a sticking solenoid due to gumming up or sometimes heat related.

May go a long while before it shows up again but you can be sure it will pick a rather embarrassing moment to not want to start.

Get it replaced. As a person who tends to delay the inevitable when replacing worn parts on my ute (ie she'll be right for a little while longer) I am well qualified to give this advice.

A good quality aftermarket starter motor can be found for a reasonable price and as far as repairs go it is pretty simple. As Droog said, the next time it plays up will be the worst time possible a.k.a. Murphys Law.

Regards
Twosheds

Haha, this reminds me of something I saw about 40 years ago when I was doing my mechanic apprenticeship. A car came in for a rego check and had a loop of string hanging out the right hand side of the bonnet. After opening the bonnet I found the string was running to a claw hammer that was hanging by a hole drilled in the handle and some wire (also known as "Cockies Cotton" where I'm from. ie. A Cocky is a farmer) forming a pivot for the hammer to swing on.
If the car didn't start, the owner tugged on the string while turning the key causing the hammer to tap the starter solenoid - bloody genius!!
When I asked him about it he said it was like it for years and he only had to do it every so often. I told him it should really be fixed for rego and he said "Show me the rule in your rego check book" and he was right, there was no rule about a remote control hammer to enable intermittent no-starting

I've had quite a few Ford Falcon 6 cylinder cars of the same vintage do exactly what yours did, it is quite common. One thing to check first is that the battery cable nut on the starter motor is tight and clean. If it's loose it can create a high resistance preventing the motor from receiving full power. If it's loose it can cause arcing which is resistive in itself, so if it is loose clean it up then refit it. Just remember to disconnect the battery before working on the starter motor as you could short it out to Earth, this could damage the Alternator diodes and scare the crap out of yourself.

Love the ingenuity of the guy. Though, having replaced my starter once I know exactly where it is, I’m having a hard time working out what his set-up was. The idea makes me smile.

I expect one of his jobs for the future would have been to set up a few pulleys so that the wire could have been threaded through the bulkhead and onto the dashboard somewhere. To save him the inconvenience of getting out of the car.

Originally Posted by ErrolFlynn

Love the ingenuity of the guy. Though, having replaced my starter once I know exactly where it is, I’m having a hard time working out what his set-up was. The idea makes me smile.

I expect one of his jobs for the future would have been to set up a few pulleys so that the wire could have been threaded through the bulkhead and onto the dashboard somewhere. To save him the inconvenience of getting out of the car.

It was a Holden red engine in a HK to HG ute from memory (it was a long time ago). He didn't have to get out, he just had to wind down the window and reach out for the loop. The loop was at the drivers side of the bonnet near the windscreen.