Aftermarket Autolight Starter... Won't stay engaged?
 

So my OEM starter on my 10th AE finally gave out. I replaced it with an Autolight starter but the starter won't stay engaged. It will crank then pop out, then back in and then out again; after a while my car will eventually start. But I know if I continued to do this I will damage my flywheel. Is this just a sign that i shouldn't be buying my stater from Kragen's or that there is another problem. Someone told me it could be the relay, is that correct? If so which one?

The only relay that is part of the starting circuit would be the starter cut relay which is found only on cars equipped w/the factory alarm otherwise there is no relay. Do you have the factory alarm and did this current problem present itself w/the previous starter.

I have never had a factory alarm that I am aware of. I do have that security light on my arm rest that blink, if that is an alarm then yes.

But no I never had this problem before. Although the car randomly cranks at slower speeds sometimes, not during the starting sequence but just sometimes i turn the key and its slow and sometimes normal.

Get another Starter..Kragen Sells crap.
alot of Guys have been having troubles with Remanned Stuff,,alternators and starters.
Ask for the "next STEP UP"..like the Better one!

Oh yes its a manufactured starter not an autolight. The next one is like $150 and If it doesn't work they won't let me take it back which is a terrible policy. So just to confirm the only things that can cause a good starter to not work properly is a battery and a relay (which i don't have because my blinking light doesn't count as a security system), correct?

Also what is the difference between an N/A Starter and a Turbo Starter? Would an N/A starter in my turbo car give off the same results (starter disengaging before the car starts)?

Look by the main relay for a blue plug. This plug will have a Black/Green wire and a Black/White wire feeding into one side of the plug and a "U shaped" jumper wire on the other side. If this blue plug is plugged into a metal box that is similar in shape and size to the Main relay then you indeed have the Starter Cut relay and it will have more than two wires feeding into it.

EDIT: One thing you could do is bridge a screwdriver of sufficient length between the positive battery terminal on the starter to the solenoid connector clip w/the car "not in gear" and the starter should turn over properly. If it behaves like it has been then the problem lies within the starter itself or the way it was installed.

The blue plug will likely be in a different location but close to where it is depicted in the image.

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/4504/bluesi.th.jpg

Thanks satch. It looks like I do have the security relay. Do i just make or get a blue jumper connector or replace the relay to fix my problem?

Try jumpering the B/G wire to the B/W wire as this will bypass that particular relay and see if this has an affect on the way the starter behaves when you attempt to start the car.

If that does not fix your problem, then make sure you have a good clean ground going to the starter. (non-corrided terminals pos/neg, etc.)

The factory security system was standard on all '88s which would include your 10AE. There's no remote key fob like you'd have in a modern security system; it just arms itself when you shut the hood, hatch and lock the doors from the inside and close the last door while holding up the door handle.

Ok so I used some Alligator clips to make a jumper wire and the engine clicked but wouldn't start and now it won't start at all with or without relay or jumper cable. Did i blow some security circuit?

Ain't no reason for using alligator clips. All that is needed is a three inch wire bared at both ends and place one end into the slot where the B/W wire is and the other end of the jumper wire into the slot where the Black/Green wire is. One thing I forgot to mention is there are "two" Black/Green wires in which to choose from in the blue plug and you need to select the one which is the "thickest gauge."

EDIT: Of the two B/G wires one has constant voltage on it while the other one does not. You want the one that does not have voltage on it that is to be jumpered to the B/W wire.

Are yout alking about the starter gear actaully making contact with the flywheel or are you talking about it dying electrically? If the starter gear is popping back then i'd say you have a bad bendex, worn flywheel teeth causing the gear to not catch, or starter alignment problems.

Thanks Satch. I will check that out today. Although the weird thing is even when I put the relay back on, which in the past was at least cranking, now the car just cuts all electrical as soon as I turn the key but maybe I broke the relay some how.


Jdrift - My old starter worked fine, it wasn't until I replaced my old starter with the new remaned one it that I started have these problems. So i don't think its my flywheel. The remaned one engages for about 2 seconds and then start disengaging. I was told it could be my relay or my battery. I am working out the relay situation right now and I replaced the battery. If all this doesn't work I am just going to take my old broken one to get rebuilt.

In my previous post I goofed and said one of the B/G wires had constant voltage as it has voltage w/key to on instead while the other B/G wire would have voltage w/key to start. Thus the B/G wire you would want to jumper to the B/W wire would be the one that does not have voltage w/key to on which makes it the one that has voltage w/key to start. So w/key to on check which B/G wire has voltage and then select the other one to jumper. Also, is it possible when you replugged the blue plug into the relay you put it in reverse?

EDIT: One thing which hasn't been clarified is if you need to depress the clutch to start the car or not. If you don't then there would only be one B/G wire rather then two of them and in place of the second B/G wire would be a Black/Red wire instead. So if you do not have to depress the clutch for starting purposes then you have B/R and a B/G rather then two B/G wires. If you have only one B/G wire in addition to the B/R wire then the B/R wire would need to be jumpered to the B/W wire and not a B/G wire. Finally, when you jumper the wire you do not have to plug the blue plug back into the relay as it could sit by itself and not plugged back in.

It started! WOOT WOOT! Thanks for the help I must have broke my relay some how, but the jumper worked. I used the B/G not the B/G/R.

Just a heads up but if you leave the jumper wire in it will override the security system whether you plug the blue plug back into the relay or not.

Just as a note. I ended up trashing the Kragen's remanufactured Starter and replacing the brushes on my old starter and now it starts great. I recommend that others do the same. Its actually cheaper too, just not if you first pay for the Kragen's starter which they won't let you take back if you test it out in your car.

Even though you fixed your problem i just want to state that you cannot use a n/a starter on a TII or the other way around.