Ford Escort Starter

[asshanson]

Emily's 2001 ZX2 (auto, dohc motor) is having a few starting issues lately. Sometimes the starter will just spin freely and not grab to turn the motor over. Other times it will grab, but sounds pretty sickly while turning over, maybe because it's not grabbing 100% and missing a little.

The original starter went out about 2 years ago, not sure why. It totally died, didn't even try to turn the car over, just click. She had it replaced by a shop out in southwest Iowa, which used a rebuilt starter that failed within a year. Again, died and just clicked. They got it replaced under warranty (didn't have to pay labor, but the price of another starter - $60), again with a rebuilt one, and now a year later it's failing again. I figure I can replace it for a junkyard $15 one that should last at least that long.

I saw something about starter solenoids, is this the thing that pushes the starter in/out to turn the engine over? Or is that more of a relay to get power to it? It seems to spin fine, just has trouble grabbing. This same thing happened in my 2g, but I just replaced the whole thing.

Also, I don't know where I can find info on the escort starter interchange, what other vehicles have the same model that I can find at the u-pull. There is one zx2 in rosemount that for sure would have the same one, but I want to know if other escorts have the same. Does auto vs. manual matter for these cars?

[Gravy]

Sad thing is, i use to know this, but i believe the solenoid engages the motor which spins the gear, AND pushes it out. I've have to look it up again, but if it's not sounding good, you can start by checking the conections to make sure there's no rust, and see if that helps. If not, pull it out and bring it to a local parts store, i know Pep Boys and O'reilleys both test them. And can let you know if it's bad or not.

Most of the time it's best to go with a remanufactured starter with a lifetime warranty, and just get dirty yourself. Save you a ton of money in the long run.

[asshanson]

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll see if the starter the shop purchased has a warranty before heading to upull this weekend. I'll also check the connections tonight, maybe pull it out and have the local oreillys test it.

[Gravy]

Working on it yourself may not be the easiest, or safest as it goes for me most days, but almost always the cheapest. The connections sometimes can cause a starter to go bad before it actually, "Goes Bad". If there's enough corrosion on the connector, or even in the line going to it, it can cause the starter to act like it's not working, when infact it would if the starter had a good power and ground line. The screwdriver test can help you in finding out while the car is on the vehicle, but due to risk of a 12 volt shock and a few swear words, it's best to take it in.

If it's a manual, you can always do what i did and pop the clutch. I went 2 weeks on my truck with out once turning the key. It developed a bad spot, but was not a real problem. Went away and i bought a new computer. Sure as rain falls to the ground, the starter goes. So till the next pay check, short of eating Ramen for two weeks, i had to live with it. I got a good work out on days i couldn't park on any kind of a hill from having to push it. But i made it two weeks before i could pick one up. If you have an auto, i'm sorry.

[asshanson]

It's an auto. It's been acting ok lately, just a little sickly sounding when starting, not spinning freely at least. I have a voltmeter and all my tools here so I'll check resistance between power line and the battery, ground and another ground on the car, etc. I'll also look at all the lines to check for corrosion. Shouldn't be much trouble, I've done the starter on my dsm a few times now for various reasons.

[jhaan_dude]

pull it out of the car and test it with jumper cables, i 100% promise you that it is bad, $64 from napa reman...

[MustGoFaster]

I have no idea if this happens on ZX2's or not, but on a 3S, the wire that runs the starter solenoid is run slightly over the standard rating for AMPs. When it ages, the wire starts getting higher and higher resistance, and can no longer run the starter solenoid properly. If you can, check the trigger wire for full voltage when trying to crank.