For the past several months, my ignition switch has sometimes stuck in the "start" position and I have had to manually rotate it back to "on". It was one of those things that I was waiting for a Round Tuit to repair.

Yesterday, I jumped in to run to the grocery store for something and wasn't completely focused. Started it up and immediately heard a terrible racket from the engine, Knowing I wouldn't be able to troubleshoot the noise if I shut it off, I popped the hood. It's hard to describe the noise...I guess a loud rattle sound, and the engine seemed to be at a higher than normal RPM. I blipped the throttle underhood and when the sound didn't change or the RPS lower, I shut it off.

Before I turned the key off, I noticed the radio was off, and also the HVAC. It didn't register until a second after I had shut it down... the starter had been engaged the entire time because the key didn't come back on its own.

I restarted it, and made sure the key went back to "on". As I turned back the key to disengage the starter, I heard the same rattle sound for a split second.

Since then, about 1/2 the time I start it, when the starter disengages, I hear the same sound for a second or less. ARGH!!

I know it's either my starter drive gear, or the flywheel teeth that are damaged from running for about a minute like it did. The starter was replaced with a new one from Rovers North a few months back, and I still have the original, so I can always put the original drive in the new starter if that's what it is. I plan to pull it next weekend and check it, and the flywheel teeth.

I am trying to hold fast to the idea that the flywheel is made from a harder metal than the starter drive teeth, so the repair won't involve pulling the engine or dropping the transmission and transfer case...

 

So, lots of views, and no replies... so I figured I would add a poll just for fun.

Yes, I still have not done anything to the ignition switch due to lack of time, but I am remembering to make sure to rotate it back from "start" shortly after cranking since my mishap.

Since Sunday, it has been started at least a dozen times or more, with no abnormal noise whatsoever on engagement and cranking. It's when it disengages that the noise happens, and just for a second. Either the gear isn't retracting fast enough, or there is something wrong with the teeth that is hanging it up on the flexplate. Something I thought of today: While the engine was running, the starter was spinning much faster than it was designed for. Is it possible that cooked the lubrication on the shaft the gear rides on? Nah, my luck is never that good...

 

Did this start after you forced your key out or into the ignition? It sounds like your problem is in the ignition switch if the key won't turn back on it's on. That doesn't mean that your starter or flywheel haven't been damaged because of that now.

There is a great thread on here with pictures on how to fix a sticking ignition. I used this thread and haven't had any problems with my key sticking since. The ridges in our key wear down and the tumblers in the ignition are no longer perfectly level when the key is inserted. To fix this you basically pull the ignition out, stick your current key in it, then carefully take a dremel with a grinding wheel and grind down the tumblers until they are level again.

HERE THE LINK TO THE THREAD-https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...ock-fix-35422/



If you think you broke teeth on your flex plate/flywheel then there's a way you can check that. There is a small circular metal inspection cover on the bottom of the bell housing about 3in diameter that is held on by 3 small (8 or 10mm) bolts. If you remove that cover you might be able to feel inside the bottom of the bell housing for any metal chunks is something broke up in there.

I hope this helps.

 

Finally the weekend, and time for Rover work.
RoverGuy, No, I've never had to force my key into or out of the ignition. I will admit, my ignition isn't as slick as butter, but I think I am on my 3rd or 4th key blade since I bought it 8 years ago, and each copy has been made from the previous, so the key might be slightly out of tolerances.

I've seen the tumbler fix, and stored it in my mental bookmarks. I will probably do that at some point in the future, if the sticking gets much worse, or I get more forgetful over what position the key is in.

Last weekend, the key didn't rotate back to "on" on its own, and I didn't realise as I was occupied with other things, and so the starter remained engaged for a full minute or so. When that happened, it sounded as bad as nuts and bolts dropped into an engine before the heads put back on. From then on, I had a similar rattle sound when the starter disengaged from starting for a second or so.

Today, pulled the starter (now a 15 minute job since I've done it a few times this past year) and the starter teeth were perfect. I checked the teeth of the flywheel through the starter hole as I turned the engine via crankshaft bolt. Nothing looked too bad. The teeth were shiny, but none were missing or badly damaged. I rotated the flywheel 360 degrees twice to make sure I didn't miss anything.

I rechecked the starter, and compared it with the original one that went bad a few months ago. I noticed the "spacer ring/bearing" just behind the nose bearing didn't turn freely, so I sprayed Deep Creep on it. I could then turn it. Took the starter to my work and bench tested it. It worked every time, with just a little bit more chatter (starter gear back and forth motion while extended) than I would think is normal. I applied 3-In-One PTFE to the front bearing, and "spacer ring/bearing and reinstalled.

*almost* perfectly quiet like normal now!! I get a very slight bit of rattle from the starter after the engine has been started maybe one out of ten start-ups. I am going to attempt no more things today, as my good luck has been used up.

 

I cant give you the ratio, but with the switch engaged like it was....instead of the starter turning the engine at ....oh maybe 500/600 rpm......now the engine running at 650rpm or more will be turning the starter at maybe say ......5000 rpm ?.....bound to wear the starter way faster than designed for.....taking it off and lubing it may just have saved it !