Hi I am hoping that someone will be able to help!! I have got a 2008 1.2 Tce Clio I have had it since march all is fine but sometimes since I have owned it the starter makes a horrible grating noise and does not engage. This can happen up to six times in a row, then the car will start as normal.I have changed the starter twice had the battery checked but is still keeps happening. If anyone can help or have any advice please let me know cheers Paul
A grating (grinding) noise would suggest a damaged tooth on the flywheel to me.
Still got the old starter?
Any sign of abnormal damage on the drive gear?
Engines often have a favorite position to come to rest so the starter
gear on the flywheel tends to have places were the ware is worst
and if it stops in one of these places you can get the problem you
have, thing is it's a gear box out new flywheel problem to fix so
you need to be pretty sure that is whats wrong befor you star chucking
time and money at it, if you can see the teeth on the ring gear
with the starter out you cout inspect the teeth and turn the
by some means to see all round.
Daft question, but am going to ask, as have come across this many times,
Should it have a guide/locator peg in the gearbox or starter, and it is missing.
Though the bolts align , the starter is not sitting in the correct place
With it being a grating noise unlikely , but is possible
Is there much dust on your starter pinion the gear part, ( bendix)
This part that turns your starter, at the end of it is a copper ferrule bush, pressed in the end of the starter motor, has this worn away,,,
It is not easy to see (if) it is enclosed, but if the starter has been turning slowly, and your engine needs a lot of cranking, this can wear very quickly
I had this on my old Talbot Horizon, the starter was activating before the pinion had engaged in the flywheel causing the grating noise. The teeth on the starter pinion were fine being hardened but the teeth on the flywheel were badly worn in 4 locations.
Your problem is that this situation has gone on too long, the flywheel teeth are so worn that the new starter can't engage properly. You could try dismantling the starter to see if you could adjust solenoid claw so it allows the pinion to travel further into the flywheel teeth before the starter contacts are closed but this will be tricky.
Sorry the problem is only going to get worse, I ended up fitting a new ring gear to the flywheel which may not be available for your car.
The 2 replacement starter motors have been RTX from europarts I have been reading online that the quality of these can be poor has anyone tried these or had problems with them ?
Think you need to remove starter and look how worn the teeth are on the flywheel before condemning the replacement starter. Sorry - wish I could be more positive about the problem.