Posted by Keith in Washington [162.158.255.145] on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 10:50:34 :
In Reply to: Anyone have to tap their starter to make it go? posted by jim lee [172.68.142.44] on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 03:08:50 :
People are close on this one. It is the sign of a warn starter. However, it is usually the the brushes that need replacing. As the brushes wear out they become much shorter and can barely reach the armature. When you tap the starter with a hammer it vibrates the brushes and they slightly move and make better contact and the starter will turn. A good friend taught me this one.
I have see this problem an a couple vehicles. When it happens I pull the starter and replace the brushes and clean the armature. These starters worked just fine for years afterwards. I did it twice to the starter on my Suburban as its starter brushes seem to last about 100K miles. The brushes are a few bucks and I replace them myself.