bzracer73

Hey all...

My 84' 944 won't start....

Battery is brand new and been tested to be A O.K.

Car tries to turn over but all it does is make a 1/16th of a crank and stops...

Turn key off try to start again same thing...

I had a buddy crank the car as I crawled underneath and beat the hell out of the starter with a hammer...to no avail no difference....

How does one determine the difference between a bad starter and a bad solenoid??

Or is it not even worth replacing just the solenoid and just go for a new starter/solenoid alltogether???

Also, I know some late starters fit early cars, or do all late starters from 85 1/2 up fit early 944's...

If you had your choice is there any reason to choose an early starter or later starter??

Thanks in advance,

Brian

Luis de Prat

Just went through this myself. The starter brushes have probably become too worn to start the car. Time for another starter.

On an early car I would stick with an early starter.

TNT25169

Hey Brian,

Sounds like it could be the grounds. Have you fixed anything lately that may cause this problem? I have several starters in my shop in good working order. Shoot me an email at APartAbove@aol.com.

Tiger03447

Use an early starter...they probably don't have ceramic magnets in them..my '83 doesn't..If you bash a starter with ceramic magnets (small ones) with a hammer enough, it will turn the magnets into a pile of dust....You can beat on an early starter...The bushings or bearings have probably worn enough to let the armature inside the starter, drop down and drag the field coils, hence the no start. Time for a new starter or a trip to your local automotive rebuilder. Thanks, Tiger 03447

Tremelune

Bridge the solenoid posts with a screwdriver or other piece of metal. Be careful, as the starter will spin if it's in good working order and there is power to the posts, regardless of where the key is. If that works, it's the solenoid. I expect it's merely corrosion, though, if you've been driving it recently. The salt splashes up and corrodes the posts very quickly.

My starter failed every winter until I pulled off all the wires, cleaned them to bare metal, hooked everything back up, then coated all bare metal with liquid electrical tape.

bhartb

Have you taken the starter to be tested? Any auto parts franchise can do it. If it tests ok, try using jumper cables to add extra grounding to the starter. I put a new starter in my 924 last year and it didn't work until I added a wire from the block at the starter to the chassis. My gauges are now behaving themselves too!
Good Luck,
Brian