I went out to start the Landie the other afternoon, I turn the key and everything seems fine, but instead of turning over, all I get is some loud clicks, no spinning starter motor. Checked the battery charge (good), disconnected it, and crawled under to asses the situation. I was surprised when I could actually turn the lower mounting bolt on the starter by hand, but the electrical connections were secure, if covered in oil and dirt. I used some degreaser to clean the starter and it's immediate environs, reconnected the battery and what do you know, it started right up. That was Friday, and it has been starting fine since. It doesn't seem like an actual failing starter, it has no trouble spinning the engine over and other than this it has never given me reason to even think about it. Could this have been an issue with something else in the electrical system that disconnecting the battery reset, or just a dirty, oil encrusted, loose starter that needed a little love? I've replaced plenty of starters over the years, but never had one that acted like this.

 

Well, you could have some corrosion on your battery terminals that was cleared by the remove & replace, corrosion can build up enough resistance such that the high current required by the starter simply can't push through... but most likely the loose mounting is the culprit. The starter draws a ton of current through the hot lead, and what goes in must come out, the current flow back to the chassis and battery is through the starter frame and mounting to the block. In your case a poor / loose mechanical connection equates to a poor / loose electrical connection. Crud in there probably wasn't doing you any favors either.

 

That sounds about right. The battery terminals were/are spotless, the battery is fairly new (<year). I have to go out of town for 10 days and am taking our Mini, so I want to be sure this problem doesn't appear while my wife is driving the Landie.

 

I had a weird intermittent starting issue. When the truck had sat, or was cold it started fine. But as I ran around town, each time I started it it would get progressively harder to start as in slow cranking until no cranking. Let it sit and it would work.

Finally found that the upgraded larger positive cable the PO added from battery to starter was loose at the terminal. Unfortunately that is after I changed the starter and threw away a perfectly good one.

 

Better leave her a fistful of wrenches and a copy of rave

 

Why? So she has something to throw at it and something to set it on fire with?