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Aloha all, I've got a 2006 R50 that I just did a head gasket on. It had been siting out in the elements for about 2 years prior to this being done. After putting the car all back together charging the battery and getting all the fluids back in the car, I tried to start it and nothing. No sound at all.
I was going to just replace the starter and then found a video on how to remove the starter relay, jump the lines with a wire and that should tell you if the starter works or not. Well, I tried it today and in doing so, I got a hum at the starter but no crank. I tried putting the relay back in and key starting again and this time no hum.
Removing the starter is going to be a nightmare as the exhaust manifold needs to be removed from below and the flange bolts are rusted tight. I'm really hoping wiser minds might have some other thoughts before I spend the next year of my life trying to get the damn thing off.
The old school remedy was to love-tap the starter body with a hammer which ~sometimes~ worked in a pinch. Just enough to dislodge whatever is sticking inside, assuming it isnt outright seized. Would try that next to get the car moving but after sitting for two years expect to replace it regardless.
Removing the starter is going to be a nightmare as the exhaust manifold needs to be removed from below and the flange bolts are rusted tight. I'm really hoping wiser minds might have some other thoughts before I spend the next year of my life trying to get the damn thing off.
The exhaust manifold does NOT need to be removed to remove the starter. That's an instance where you can "cheat the book" (note: first-hand experience, I've done that operation).
Disconnect the coolant and PS reservoirs (just the nuts, not actually emptying them) to give yourself some room, wiggle the starter heat shield away to get access to the starter, and you can remove the starter with some wobble extensions. I highly recommend an electric wrench, because there is very limited room to wrench, and the starter bolts are super long and have resistance all the way, so you won't be able to finish by hand. Then you can wiggle the starter out. It does come out, there is just barely enough clearance.
Once it's out, you can apply 12V directly to the solenoid and see if the starter spins (and if gears aren't too worn out). If it does, while you're in there add a bit of grease before re-assembly and move on to the next diagnosis step. It might be worth having it tested with a proper starter testing machine (which tests a bit more than just that) if you have a parts store nearby that does that as a service.
Though before you do any of that, I'd get the battery properly tested. Just because you charged it and it does have 12V at the leads does not mean it's good enough. And old battery will exhibit those property but won't have enough cranking amps to start the car.
A really quick thing to check is to make sure the ground connections are clean and tight on the passenger frame rail and motor mount bracket. That seems to have caught a lot of people out over the years.
The passenger side ground! I had the same thing happen. I tried a couple of starters and finally broke down and checked the ground. It was tight and good but I removed it, cleaned it and re-tightened it and everything worked perfectly! (I have no idea why, I had not touched it before)
