Smoking Starter Motor

[Yorky11a]

I have just fitted a new battery and when turning the engine over I noticed smoke from the terminals on the starter motor now it did not do this with the old battery have I fitted the wrong battery or have I a problem with the starter the vehicle is a Series 11a swb diesel. It's booked in for MOT this week so need to sort quickly.

cheers yorky11a

[hobbit]

Not a positive earth is it, or a problem with the starter solenoid?

[Yorky11a]

It`s a negative earth, not sure about starter as with old battery no problem, is there a simple fix or am I looking at new starter motor.

[hobbit]

If you have the new battery on the same way as the old one, you should have been ok,  :?

Perhaps there was a deeper problem on the system to flatten the old battery, check the leads for a cross over short somewhere

The live lead may be chaffing on the body

Did it smoke when you tried to turn over the engine or straight after you connected the new battery?

[Nick Bradshaw]

I fitted a new battery and it ran down immediately. The problem was the old starter motor. It was shorting through the bushes. The old battery was not strong enough to overcome the resistance but the new one was, hence it shorted more effectively and flattened the newbattery. I fitted a new starter; probably could have got away with new bushes, but I think there was some insulation breakdown in the coils of the starter motor as well. I'd change the starter motor if I were you; very easy way to start an unpleasant fire and damage very expensive wiring loom, otherwise!

Best of luck.

[Leslie Henson]

Dirty or loose connections will also cause this. Clean the wire 'eyes' where they connect, and the sonnection itself.


Les.

[Yorky11a]

Sorry for not responding but have been in hospital, I would like to thank all of you for your advice, it turned out to be a dodgy connection.