[Closed] Van starting problem. Part 2.

Check the earths to the body/engine, it is generally the solenoid on the top of the starter playing up though.

There is only a small wire to the solenoid, check it's getting voltage to that when you turn the key, if you then put a nice thick ie jump lead direct from the battery to that starter motor connector it will probably start quite easily.

Sounds like classic duff solennoid i.e. when the car will sometimes start not others and you get a click sound. If you give the solennoid body a tap with a hammer or other blunt instrument, with the key in the start position, it usually gets you out of jail for a while until it finally packs in.

Now you've got the starter off you can replace the solennoid alone without replacing the whole starter motor/recon unit, if trying to do it on the cheap! I've done it in the past when the bearings in the starter are in good condition! Oh and sometimes the solennoid fixings are corroded and have to be removed by force!!

Dmf failing and filling starter with swarf..

Thanks guys, solenoid is working as it should, so is the starter. I've had it connected direct to a battery and it works perfectly, also its not full of swarf or anything, I've actually stripped the starter/solenoid to check brushes and clean it all.
I've cleaned the earth, so that should be good.
As Pepper says, If I put voltage direct to the solenoid, it starts no problem. Thats why I was wondering if power has to go through relays or fuses or anything like that, or is it likely the ignition barrel is duff?

Are the ignition lights working when you turn the key to position 1 ?

Righty O.
Firstly, thanks again for the suggestions.
Secondly, why did'nt someone with more brains than me suggest checking the fuse 😳
Thirdly, I'd like to nominate myself for plonker of the week, and will accept any and all ridicule 😀
On a more positive note, I now have a better understanding of a starter system, I can strip and rebuild a starter motor and solenoid, I know how to change it if it ever does go.
So, the moral of the story is, check the bloody easy bits first folks 😀

thats strange - how come as per previous thread it would start sometimes ?

Strange indeed, and I have no idea. All I could hazard a guess at is, the two ends of the blown fuse were close enough together to sometimes bridge across????
Though even thinking it sounds daft, I thought when a fuse blew that was it.
It had all the classic symptoms of a duff starter, and I think I just set off down that route without giving fuses a second thought.
What was throwing me as well was the clicking. I mistook it for the solenoid, but it was the heater plug relay. Thinking back, when I've had a duff starter in the past, the clicking was louder than this one.
But, you live and learn, and thankfully it didnt cost me.

Or, there is still an underlying fault but the fuse also blew at some point since you started investigating it...

Bloody hell, what did you have to say that for 😀

You sure you didn't blow the fuse whilst waving cables about to bridge to the starter motor?

I've had 3 ignition barrels go on vehicles, failure can be intermittent. Depending on the design they can have quite a high load going through them.

Ok you lot have me worried again now. Lets stick with, it's working for now and we'll see how it goes.
If you see another thread up soon, you know it was'nt just a fuse 😕