Today I had to make a trip through the snowstorm and in the freezing cold and my GV would not start.
When turning the key I could hear the relay "click" but the starter motor would not move. My battery was good enough I checked, and I switched the relay in the fuse box with another one to be sure that was not the problem.
Suddenly I remembered an old trick to hit the starter motor with a hammer to get it back to live and VOILA it did the trick.
Engine started up again smoothly and after a slippery trip in the snow the GV still starts as if there was no problem before.

What is the most common source of this problem?
Is it worn out carbon brushes, and are they easily to replace?
Or could it be something else like the solenoid or something?

 

With your headlights on, they should not dim when you try to start, that excludes battery, the next to go for is something sticking. Brushes, sticky commutator, solenoid etc, as you can see from the pic below there are a lot of parts that can stick. TBH unless you want to pull it and do it yourself and start checking and replacing parts a refurb is not a cheap enough replacement, a refurb usually goes retail for three quarters of a new retail part.



For myself a scrapyard will give you and instant 'get out of jail card' but you never know, buying someone's scrap is what it is a scrap~crap~shoot. £60 is the going rate in the UK for a big diesel re-manufactured part - £80 is the new 'pattern part' price retail.

best of luck M8 - and stay safe in the snow 'n ice !

 

I already found out a replacement starter motor is about €100,- on our side of the canal so I will not put many hours of effort into repairing the one I have now
But if the "usual suspect" in cases like these could be the brushes and a repair would be like €10,- and an easy replace, I could try that first.
For now I have not even found how easy/difficult it is to access the starter motor on a 2.5 CRD, I need to check that out first.

 

Starter is easy to remove on a 2.5crd. Take off the bottom tray underneath car. Locate starter then simply disconnect the electrical connections and remove the three bolts securing it. Then reverse of that to install the new unit.

I imagine it is sticking related to the cold weather. I fixed mine before by removing the starter then operating it on and off with a spare battery whilst spraying a bit of Silicone grease onto the moving parts.

Regards Dan

 

Three times now my starter hasn't started the engine. Clicks like yours yes but no turn.
First time happened in a supermarket and was quoted 3hrs for an RAC turnout. Aye right.
Obviously was the starter, so wiggled the solenoid wire, pulled it off, then on, tried for start and joy it started. So not getting in there to clean the connections properly it has did it another 2 times since. And as yet probably again..
Yours was probably the same on hitting it, you prob touched the connection.

 

Hi Vmaxxer

This was my solution to a starter motor problem

https://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/...r-motor-14027/

Hope it helps.

 

Ill try all your tips as soon as some of the snow is gone and the temperature is endurable to do mechanic works on the street
For now the GV starts normal and I keep a large iron rod in the back for when it happens again.

 

Happened to me twice today, again, no start. Once at Carlisle then again at Tesco Dumfries...Thank god I know the answer...Wiggle, pull, wiggle and we're away...
That Song: A little wiggle goes a long way...is quite true.

 

Happened again today but the guy who helped me noticed that somewhere from under the little black box on the top of the starting motor, sparks where flying out when trying to start.
het gently tapped it and the car started imediatly, would that be (connection to) the solenoid?
I'll try to get at that spot today to check.

 

The black box is almost always round not box shaped and is almost always the starter motor solenoid, which is it, the starter motor, battery or the solenoid or something else ? the tests are all within the scope of DIY, see here for a common sense understanding.