Every winter when the icy weather comes the starter plays up.
I get a click from the solenoid but the engine fails to turn. Most of the time It will start ok on the second or third go and ok for the rest of the day. Just wondering if anyone else has this problem. The starter motor itself looks fairly new.
I have an spare Femsa starter I was going to fit so I can check it out. This one looks in good condition and turns ok when connected directly to 12V but has a sticking plunger in its solenoid, looks like it can be fixed if I can get it to bits and clean it up. Is there a stripdown procedure anywhere for the solenoid?
Cheers
Don

I don't know the long term fix, but the short term one, genuinely, is to hit it with the starting handle. Works every time.

Sam is a man speaking the truth.

A trick im using with my BX diesel daily at the moment.

A slightly longer term solution is to strip and clean the solenoid and the gear and shaft that throw forward when the solenoid engages as they get dirt and stuff in there and as soon as damp weather occurs then it sticks all the more readily.

It can also be a symptom of worn brushes which dont want to make good electrical contact with the rotor in the damp weather.

Thanks for the replies.
Managed to get the solenoid apart on the Femsa starter.
The plunger has a plastic section which seems to have expanded enough to stop it moving freely so I've cleaned it up with some wet or dry on the lathe and it moves ok now.
It did spring apart when I removed a circlip so I hope I've got things back in the right order.
Try it on the car tomorrow with luck.
Cheers
Don