On my kids’ little Pred 50, the electric starter stopped working out of the blue last week- one minute it worked, the next minute it didn’t. It clicks but doesn’t turn the engine.
Naturally, I put the kick starter on it temporarily (which also confirms the motor isn’t locked up). This morning I had a chance to diagnose it. Battery fully charged (started another ATV with it just to be sure), I’m getting power to the starter when I press the button but all it does is make one click each time. OK, bad starter motor, probably, I think.
I yank the starter and to confirm it’s bad I key it again while it hangs in free air. To my surprise, it spins up like a demon. Install in the motor again, just a click once more.
I try to move the starter gear inside the motor with a screwdriver- it rocks back and forth slightly but I can’t get the motor to turn. Admittedly, there’s very little pressure I can put on the gear in this manner, so it’s not exactly a conclusive test.
I’m VERY concerned something has gone wrong with whatever gears and such are INSIDE the engine cover. And I have NO idea what’s in there or how to access it.
Do the starter gears in these motors have a history of grenading themselves or locking up? Do I buy a new starter and take my chances? Any way to test this further before I lay out cash on a starter I may not need?
Thanks in advance for any help.
