Hi all.

Have an R reg Felicia 1.6GLXi with a strange problem - it eats starters! I'm on my third 1 in two weeks, this last one lasting 6 starts!

When turning the engine over to start, it's fine for three or four turns, then the starter seems to struggle against some force (build up of compression?), then back to normal.

Twice the starter has failed (in that the dog is not pushed out of the starter, the motor just whiring).

Any ideas, as these starters are £120 a shot and I don't think I'll get another one under warrenty!

:(

At a guess, i would say that for some reason the solonoid wire is staying live after start up and the starter is burning out as itspins with the engine, try checking the power at the solonoid wire after it has started, if you have got 12v i would go for an ignition switch fault

Sounds plausible, and easy to check. Use a voltmeter in continuity mode across the starter feed.

The only other possibility I can think of is something funny with the ring gear.

Almost certainly ring gear, that's going to be a big pain in the bum 'cos you'll have to drop the gearbox to get at it. The good news is that the starter itself is probably fine so don't throw it back at the shop yet. If the ring gear is coming adrift you'll almost certainly find a scrappy your best option as it's not the sort of thing you're likely to find damaged on many cars - even if the car in question has been in a head-on crash!

:iagree: - but the permanent load on the starter is possible, and way cheaper/less work to check!