Symptoms of bad starter? (1 Viewer)

[oakback]

In all my past cars, the starter would just not work one day. Maybe tapping on it would get it to run a bit longer, but when it bites the dust it just doesn't spin.

The starter in my LC occasionally makes a grinding/rattling noise. Sometimes when I let off the key there will be a bit of metal-on-metal grinding sound, like it's not completely disconnecting. On rare occasions I'll hear it after startup (and immediately shut down and restart).

Is this a symptom of a bad starter? Or potentially something else?

 

[2001LC]

Yeah likely has a bad drive. Here's one a did a while back from a 98LC. Gave owner issue for two years. He had remote start, which we felt may have contributed.

 

[oakback]

Thanks! How was the flywheel on that?

 

[2001LC]

It was okay. I spun crank and inspect each tooth of flex plate. Had some damage, but not enough to be issue. Been starting fine for two years now.

You can pull inspection plate off lower-end bell housing and look in advance.

Tip:
Very import to health of cylinder/compression. Clean top of engine spotless before pulling intake manifold. Stuff shop towels in each intake port, to keep out sand/dust. Vacuum out heads intake port before reassembly, getting ever spec of sand and dust. Replace all gaskets. Nice touch is to replace seals fuel inject seat in the intake manifold.

Tip: Run 44k (2 can full tank, with as many cool down cycles as practical) &, seaform fogger (1/3 can at a time hot engine, through PCV port on intake, and shut down engine. Letting cool 30 minutes to soak in and than high RPM HWY run), than Chevron techron, than Cataclean. You'll have very clean FI's, & intake ports, cylinder, valves, pistons, rings and CATs. Do High RPM runs for ~7 minutes during and after each treatment. Than BG EPR engine flush (2 cans) just before oil change.

I did not wipe out these intake ports. After above treatments they were clean. I sent out fuel injector to FIS. Chuck at FSI was shocked at how good spray pattern of every FI was, pre cleaning & rebuilding.

164K miles engine.

Shop vacuum hose, taper down with smaller hoses. I get up on engine a vacuum each port of every speck. If compression bad, it will not be my fault.

 

[graveling]

Be careful with the electrical fitting that snaps into the starter. The part of the connector you push on to remove the connector broke on mine. You will not find that connector at a dealer. I ended up having to make my own which was a real pita.

 

[2001LC]

Good point @graveling. I keep those wire block housing connectors on-hand. Most all, the keep/lock snaps.

 

[Moridinbg]

I had a similar issue with my starter. It was the clutch. On the bench it was smooth and was releasing smoothly. In the car - grinding when I release the key. With a different clutch - all smooth again. Mine is a diesel, but looking at the schematics and photos, the starter is the same design, just in a horrible, horrible spot in the V8