i have a starter from a 94 vg30e maxima that wont crank the engine over, i have tested the motor and it seems to work fine when its disconnected from the solenoid, i know the solenoid also works because when the starter is in the car i can hear it shoot out and i also tested it on my bench. the problem is they wont work at the same time.... when the starter has the motor connected to the solenoid and i put power to the main stud and the plug input (grounding through the case) only the solenoid actuates and the motor doesnt turn.

i have 2 questions.

1. is there any reason why the starter motor would not work on the bench but would work in the car? like i thought maybe it has to actually engage with the flywheel before it actually starts to turn. idk why this would be the case but who knows...


2. is there any way to open the solenoid to repair it, initially i intended on cleaning all the internals of the starter so it would run better but i didnt see any obvious way to get into it so before i destroy it accidentally i wanted to see if anyone knew the easy way.

 

You can take the two long screws out and clean it...Sounds like The typical rebuilt starter in which everything was bead blasted and now all the cadmium plating that OEM starter have throughout including the hardware is now bare and corroded causing constant issues with starters and alternators. You best bet is to order a rebuilt unit off Rock Auto... (Bosch, Nippodenso, Hitachi)...GL.

 

i actually discovered that i had put the solenoid back into the housing incorrectly, i had the little arm that pushes the pinion out out of alignment with the slot in the solenoid so it wasnt fully engaging. everything is working now, after turning the commutator bars on my lathe and filing back the brushes its probably one of the strongest and smoothest starters ive ever heard.