Poll: How many miles before solenoid failed?

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by bhedberg

The problem I had was the female connector on the purple wire that connects to the starter. The metal in the connector is bent to produce a spring action against the male spade connector on the starter when it is plugged in. Over time, and in the harsh environment of the valley, that metal clip loses its spring tension and does not maintain reliable contact. When I opened up the plenum and disconnected the purple wire, there was no resistance at all to the connector coming off. That could explain the no start when hot and then starting again after partially cooling off. The metal clip can be released from the plastic of the connector and re-formed (bent) to reestablish some spring tension in order to provide a positive connection. As a backup, I always carry a "starter stick" I got from Gordon years ago. It is a 3/16 inch steel rod about 30 inches long. When experiencing the no start, the rod can reach the starter with the hood up and probing behind the engine at the firewall. The method is to hold the key in the start position and tap tap on the starter with the starting stick. (easier with 2 people) The vibration from the tapping can reestablish contact and get the engine started. Release the key to the on position after it fires up. Of course there are other failure modes that produce the no start condition but I'd guess there have been lots of perfectly good starters tossed because of the connector. Some may have replaced a starter only to have the condition return soon after.

That is a very good point! Thanks for posting this!

[gtcollins@maxnet.co.nz]

My ZR-1 had less than 24000 miles on it when I pulled the starter Glen Collins

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[KFoster]

57000. Working on it now with some paint and porting. Maybe not such a good design. And that's being polite.


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[RICHARD TILL]

80k and 119k on my 90 #2161.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by gtcollins@maxnet.co.nz

My ZR-1 had less than 24000 miles on it when I pulled the starter Glen Collins

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Wow! That early!

Well, Glenn, go ahead and place your vote in the 25k category - close enough, I recon.

AND, if anyone else posted but DID NOT "vote" in one of the categories, feel free to do so. It'll embellish the visual aspect of the poll.

Originally my intent was to establish a MEAN and a STANDARD DEVIATION, and even a MEAN TIME (MILES) BETWEEN FAILURES (aka MTBF) - and maybe still can, if there's more data.

Well, this is interesting! It's still early; we'll let it run a while longer until we get more data to develop some kind of statistical analysis going here.

Thanks to all that have responded so far with their experiences!

[Vette73]

How do you think I felt? After Pete ported my inj housings and plenum I go to start the car, nothing.....Had to take everything off again and change the starter..Mierda !!!!! Car had 43K...