[Phil №❶]

Well done, on your part 

[eye30]

If it works when put back in why not report this to hy hq telling them the full story and how although you had reported and was logged the garage refused to recover especially when a lone female was the driver.

[Dazzler]

Nice work! Thanks for sharing. 

[Surferdude]

If it works when put back in why not report this to hy hq telling them the full story and how although you had reported and was logged the garage refused to recover especially when a lone female was the driver.

I agree. It needs to be documented.

[Dogsbody]

Just getting a price and availabilty for a new solenoid from Ashdown-Ingram Launceston.  If there's 1 on the shelf I might go and grab it and stick it in, then I'll cut the original solenoid open to see if the starter contactor is actually burnt or just dirty/corroded.  I guess I'm anal about it, but my job is a Reliabilty Engineer and I do a lot of root cause analysis.  I'll eventually cut this solenoid apart and send the evidence to HY Australia for their info and ongoing product improvement.  I suspect a batch of solenoids have probably been exposed to the weather during manufacture or transport.  It can clearly be seen that the solenoid coil bore and plunger have a salt-like corrosion on the surface.  I reckon water has gotten into the main motor contactor in the back of the solenoid (not accessible without destroying the solenoid), hence the intermittent problem.  Gone are the days of puople actually understanding and fixing things, just component exchangers.  As for the comment re female driver, (some) dealers don't give a rats arse from what I have experienced.

[eye30]

We here in uk, recovery/ police give priority when a breakdown is reported and the caller is a lone female and or children are in the car

[The Gonz]

Yes, as an MIEAust CPEng I'd be tempted to do the same, cut it open and find the cause, at least when I'm in-country and with access to all my tools.

So much is throwaway that doesn't necessarily have to be, or at least should be examined more closely, and the not knowing would drive me batty. Pretty cool that you would feed back into Hy what you find, although I sometimes wonder whether they would really care.

I recall watching unnatural oscillations on a Qantas aircraft control surface (port wing brake/spoiler hydraulic actuator) on one of my interstate trips, reporting it to the crew and sensing no interest. So I emailed Qantas with my theories on the possible causes, starting with problems with the feedback circuit possibly caused by loose actuator fasteners or (God forbid) hydraulic pressure inconsistencies. Still no word.

I then emailed CASA with the whole story and within a week I had a response from a CASA case officer thanking me for reporting and correctly identifying the cause to be a loose hydraulic mechanism fastener sending the synchro/servo loop into oscillations. It even mentioned that Qantas had modified its servicing schedule for the entire fleet of that model airliner to catch the problem earlier.

All this from an Electronics Engineer - I guess that early cross-trade aviation training paid off.

So yep, pretty impressed with your approach, and I'm guessing so would @Phil №❶ among some other savvy people.

[Dogsbody]

Reassembled the starter and tested this morning, all good, could not fault the solenoid, it made contact every time.  Before refitting the starter on the engine I noticed rust on the bottom section of the cast iron engkne housing where the starter fits in.  There has been ater there at some time. Refitted on the engine and all is well so far.  I tried about 20 starts without issue.  The interesting thing is I can't seem to source a solenoid for this Valeo starter enywhere in Australia, only complete starters, however it looks like the solenoids may be available from the US.  I'll check further in the hope of buying just a solenoid but for now the unit appears fine.  Anyone with any leads on this, I would be very appreciative.

[Dogsbody]

2 weeks now since I dismantled the starter and lubed the main contactor button at the back of the solenoid barrel.  Car has been used daily with no starting issues, in fact it sounds to be cranking healthier than ever since polishing the motor commutator and blowing out the brush dust, also greased the planetary gears.
I've tried to souce a solenoid ex the US but no luck with a reply so far.  I can't seem to buy just the solenoid within Oz, may need to look at the UK.  Anyone with a leed on this, I'd appreciate the info, thanks.

[Phil №❶]

Have you tried auto electricians 

[Dogsbody]

Yep, my mate has a servo and he's tried a few in Launceston etc, all came up the same, complete starter only available at this stage.  I reckon solenoids may come available as the cars get older.  I'll keep looking though.