my brother in laws horsebox is on a Mercedes atego, it was fine until he brought it down to cornwall, I guess the salt air has got at the starter motor, now when you try and start it the solenoid clunks and the starter fails to engage.
Last time we tapped it with a hammer and it worked, this time no amount of tapping seems to work.
There’s a load of pipe work under it so we’re not sure we can get it out, anyone got any ideas either of how to remove it or anything else we can do to get it going
sleepyfolk:
my brother in laws horsebox is on a Mercedes atego, it was fine until he brought it down to cornwall, I guess the salt air has got at the starter motor, now when you try and start it the solenoid clunks and the starter fails to engage.
No, a 10 year old vehicle that has spent most of its time stood unused is what has caused the issues. This is why buying low mileage older vehicles is never a good thing. Jobs like that are best done from underneath using a pit or a ramp.
If there’s enough air in the system to get the parking brake off give it a tow or a roll start.
You can also wind off the parking brakes, manually if there’s no air, by winding out the nut on the rear axle brake chambers but be very, very careful doing this, chock the wheels, as you will have no brakes at all until the air builds. Make sure you wind them back on when it has. Ideally you need a level surface or a solid towing bar.
To wind off you’ll need probably either a 22mm or 24mm socket or wrench with a very decent extension on it as the spring will put up a fair bit of resistance. It will wind fairly easily to start then get much harder and a lot of people think that’s as far as it goes but that’s the point you’re just starting to compress the spring.
Conor:
sleepyfolk:
my brother in laws horsebox is on a Mercedes atego, it was fine until he brought it down to cornwall, I guess the salt air has got at the starter motor, now when you try and start it the solenoid clunks and the starter fails to engage.No, a 10 year old vehicle that has spent most of its time stood unused is what has caused the issues. This is why buying low mileage older vehicles is never a good thing. Jobs like that are best done from underneath using a pit or a ramp.
Assuming you can tilt the cab - not a given with a horse box - it’s a common side of the road job if you’re on a service van.
That’s where I’m stumped- it won’t tilt!
sleepyfolk:
That’s where I’m stumped- it won’t tilt!
Might be a removable panel on the engine hump in the cab - how much use depends where the starter is in relation to it- or bits of the body over the cab that release/swingout/unbolt to allow it to tilt.
If not might be better to tow start and get it on a lift somewhere.
I’ll have a look for a hatch
I think its a bit dangerous to wind off the brakes and then tow start it…as you will have no brakes or very little…the best plan is look to remove the starter motor…normally…where theres a will…theres a way…or it may be the solenoid…you can bridge the contacts to start it…either on the starter or the solenoid…but tbh, it may need an electrician…good luck.
The other option is to wind off the brake and jack up one wheel on the drive axle tie a rope to it and spin it like a spinning top then get someone else on the pedals to bump start it in top gear.
The very first thing I would try would be cleaning the low tension connectors on the starter solenoid.
The solenoid does click to try and engage the starter, it has sounded like the starter spun a couple of times without being engaged
Put the lights on and try to start it, if they don’t dim quite likely just a wire/contact broken. If they do dim most likely starter and/or solenoid is stuffed.
I can try that, I think they will dim- when you try and turn it over you get the clunk of the solenoid and then the dash flickers - I had assumed due to the large current draw of the starter and it being jammed and not turning
sleepyfolk:
I can try that, I think they will dim- when you try and turn it over you get the clunk of the solenoid and then the dash flickers - I had assumed due to the large current draw of the starter and it being jammed and not turning
Yep the starter’s stuffed. You might get it to go by turning the ignition to engage the solenoid and bumping it round to either unstick it or getting it to a bit contacts the commutator that’s not stuffed but you pretty much might as well tow start it then really.
Be careful if you’ve been trying a lot that the batteries aren’t just flat.
Own Account Driver:
sleepyfolk:
I can try that, I think they will dim- when you try and turn it over you get the clunk of the solenoid and then the dash flickers - I had assumed due to the large current draw of the starter and it being jammed and not turningYep the starter’s stuffed. You might get it to go by turning the ignition to engage the solenoid and bumping it round to either unstick it or getting it to a bit contacts the commutator that’s not stuffed but you pretty much might as well tow start it then really.
Be careful if you’ve been trying a lot that the batteries aren’t just flat.
+1
Hopefully we are not confusing our clicks with our clunks.
All we know for sure is that the engne has started once when the starter was tapped and now doesn’t do so when tapped. There is no information about how long it has been parked since last started. If you cannot get at the starter motor at least eliminate the battery and its connections.