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Why am I burning through starters?

Tiny
BAGREENE
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 FORD TAURUS
  • 125 MILES
I have a 1995 Ford Taurus LX 3.0L OHV. I have been having trouble with starters. I put in a remanufactured starter from autozone and it lasted for about 1 year. It had a lifetime warranty, so I went back to them and got a free replacement. That one lasted about a year. I was tired of replacing starters, so I went to Oreilly's and bought a brand new one. It seems that this one is bad now (I haven't tested it yet) and l it has lasted about 2 years. Any ideas on what could be causing me to burn through starters?
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Saturday, April 14th, 2012 AT 3:44 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
FIXITMR
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,990 POSTS
Depends on what part of starter is failing? What are the fail symptoms?
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Saturday, April 14th, 2012 AT 4:19 PM
Tiny
BAGREENE
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
Currently, the car won't start. All the lights, instruments, radio, and power windows work. I can hear the fuel pump kick on, but no clicking noise. Prior to that the car was sluggish to start, to the point that I would have to hold the key for a little bit until the starter would engage and crank the engine. Basically, it would seem as of the car wasn't going to do anything and then it would crank and turn over. I tested the battery with a multimeter and it 12.36 volts.
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Saturday, April 14th, 2012 AT 5:06 PM
Tiny
BAGREENE
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
I should have added that these same symptoms occurred when I had to replace the other starters. I had both previous starters tested and thy were bad. Also before taking the starters off I had hit them with a hammer and was then able to start the car. So, I am pretty sure the other starters had a dead spot on the starter solenoid.
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Saturday, April 14th, 2012 AT 5:09 PM
Tiny
FIXITMR
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,990 POSTS
Those starters are know for rapid brush wear/faults. Badly designed brush system. The symptoms you describe match the fault perfectly. An OEM starter may use better brush quality and last onger or you can change yourself. Here's a listing.
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Saturday, April 14th, 2012 AT 6:42 PM
Tiny
BAGREENE
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
Thanks for the help. I just replaced the starter. It has a lifetime warranty so it just cost the time to put it in.
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Sunday, April 15th, 2012 AT 2:33 AM
Tiny
RIVERMIKERAT
  • MECHANIC
  • 6,110 POSTS
New, updated brushes might help either solve the problem outright, or alleviate it so your starter lasts longer for you.
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Sunday, May 6th, 2012 AT 7:33 PM

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