Every now and again, my starter motor will "grind" when I turn the key, instead of actually turning. There doesn't appear to be any particular pattern to it happening either.

 

I think I remember reading somewhere that there's a relay for the starter circuit somewhere - do people think that could be at fault, or the starter itself on it's way out?

 

Is this a known issue at all...?

Hmm, mine sometimes makes a grinding noise just as it starts too.

Check it hasn't come loose mine lost the bottom bolt completely .

Check it hasn't come loose mine lost the bottom bolt completely .

 

This one. It is often stripped by over tightening allowing the starter motor to pull away from the flywheel ring gear.

 

This one. It is often stripped by over tightening allowing the starter motor to pull away from the flywheel ring gear.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]89727[/ATTACH]

 

That's the little bugger

it is usually when the starter fails to engage properly and the teeth on the flywheel don't engage properly with the starters drive......

Heres a how it works film......https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WD5Q_PF3pM

Possibly the starter ring gear is worn.

Sorted????

Sorted????

 

No. I've had no time to look and it's not really the weather now.

 

I might just get Mr Dent to check it out when I head down there in the near future :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261668065870?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

No. I've had no time to look and it's not really the weather now.

 

I might just get Mr Dent to check it out when I head down there in the near future :)

 

I would check the bolts Si, if you leave it your starter is likely to come away from the car ????.

They are easy enough to get to when I checked mine the second bolt was hanging on by a couple of threads and the lower one had gone all together, ive no idea how it was still engaging the flywheel but was making an aweful noise.

I'll check them when the weather clears a bit. Car's not going anywhere right now anyway so...

mine randomly does this and has been the last 5 years, it's not got any worse and did it last week for the first time this year, i did have the clutch pedal depressed when it did it, released the pedal and it was fine, got to admit not checked the bolts, that could be a job for the weekend if it's dry

If it intermittent its more likely to be the starter motor is on its way out and will tend to do it more on colder mornings.

 

if it was the bolt it would do it almost all the time ;)

I've noticed mine do this a handful of times over my 8+ years of starting this Z. It hasn't appeared to have gotten any worse and has no pattern.