I’ve shared details of starting problems in the past, but following a recent site attendance, I just thought I’d share another check which can help diagnose any start problems you may be having.
The application on site was a standby generator and on start-up, the starter motors struggled to get enough speed to start the engine.
Because the pinions of the starters were turning (though not with enough power), the initial site diagnosis was that the starter motors were damaged and needed replacing.
Which was correct, they did need replacing, but it was another issue that was the root cause: the starter switch, whose contacts were like this:
Changing the starter motors was only part of the rectification.
These contacts also needed to be changed to get a reliable connection to ensure enough power was sent to the motor.
Without a proper investigation, it can be easy to react to the obvious symptoms – the starter motors – and miss part of the system which will give reliability and confidence that the engine will start when needed.
If you’re experiencing any starting problems, let me know and we can carry out a site survey with you.
