Starter and oil pressure questions

[Kitcat]

After many wrong paths I finally diagnosed my car's intermittent failure to start as a solenoid/starter issue. I had them rebuilt. That worked flawlessly for 8 weeks. Then the intermittent failure to start resumed, but infrequently. And, it was easily solved by pulling the hood & taping the solenoid & starter.

 

Yesterday that technique stopped working. I had to combine it with using a long screwdriver to connect the terminals on the solenoid which gives it a jolt. Then climb back in & try starting it with the key. After 10-15 attempts, climbing in & out of the car (with the top up/side screen in place BTW) it finally started and I got home.

 

Of course, part of the fun was the bystanders it drew, full of questions about the car, the engine etc., etc (Folks, I just want to fix this & drive home).

 

So I am inclined to replace the entire unit and buy myself some peace of mind. Hence my question: Is there a commonly available replacement starter/solenoid for a Crossflow at an Auto-zone type place? If so what model # does it carry and how do I identify the engine (My hunch is they have never heard of a Kent Crossflow). I can buy the unit thru RMSC but the price will be outlandish.

 

Question # 2. After the car finally started I noticed I had zero oil pressure. All the other gauges worked fine. Oil is topped up, car ran great, no overheating, coughing, etc. Earlier in the day the pressure was fine. So I drove it about 7 miles, 15 minutes & finished my trip home.

 

So how do I diagnose this? I am hoping its just a problem with the gauge or sending unit and the pressure is fine. Is there a simple way of testing the system? I am not a mechanic and will take it to a shop I trust but I don't want to drive it there (about 20 miles, mostly Interstate) if I am hurting (killing) the engine. If necessary I will have it towed but want to avoid that cost if possible.

 

Thanks!

[Ian7]

Presuming your x-flow is same as mine, take out spark plugs, unscrew the oil pressure sensor out of the side of the block, put your thumb over the hole, (the oil hole, not the sparkplug hole ), and have someone briefly crank the engine. If oil squirts past your thumb, likely its just a sensor/gauge issue and you can drive it over to a garage.

[JohnCh]

Do you still have the old inertia starter with the remotely mounted solenoid? If so, then this may be a good time to upgrade to a gear reduction starter. They are pricey, but much lighter and more reliable. I bought mine from Dave Bean, but other Lotus places like RD Enterprises should have them, and I believe Pegasus also carries them.

 

-John

[Kitcat]

John-I am not sure what I have but it is a '97 unit with the solenoid mounted piggyback on the starter. It looks huge. I just sent an e-mail to Dave Bean & we'll see what they have, thanks.

 

Ian-where on the block is the oil sensor? Driver's side, passenger, front/back, high/low? Is it always in the same location on Kent engines? I have the "How to rebuild/tune a Kent Engine" book and, assuming the location hasn't been changed, I can look it up there.

 

Thanks,

Mike

[JohnCh]

Mike,

 

The picture below is the Lucas inertia starter without solenoid (which normally mounts remotely), and the sketch is the gear reduction starter with solenoid. Do either of these look familiar?

 

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/Images/L/1141.JPG

 

http://www.rdent.com/images/starter.gif

 

-John

[Kitcat]

John-I have the Lucas starter.

 

Ian-Why take out the 4 spark plugs? If avoiding ignition is the concern, can't I just unplug them? (Of course, if the starter wont work, it's all pretty theoretical:)).

[locost7018]

My oil pressure hole on my 1300cc kent is lower rt front. I have had a lot of luck getting parts for it by telling auto places to look up early 70's Ford pinto or Mercury Capri 1600cc. I'm going to pull out the Xflow lump and trans and replace it with a Suzuki Swift GTi 1300cc twin cam and Samuri trans because I am tired of trying to find Xflow parts. It is a shame because they are good engines. Russ

[Kitcat]

My friends at RMSC suggested I check for a loose wire on my oil pressure problem. Bingo: pressure is back after I re-crimped the connector to the sender.

 

My starter has been working too.

 

I must be livin right.

[Ian7]

My oil pressure sensor is on the right hand side of the block under the intake manifold. On previous x-flow it was fairly far forward on the RHS, on current one it is right between the four cast lugs that the side engine mount picks up on. FWIW, my sensor is brass coloured, about 1.5" diameter, threads into block with a pipe thread.

Pulling the spark plugs was suggested for two reasons - 1. no compression means less load on the crank bearings, and 2. allows the engine to spin up to a higher rpm (and quicker), so you will get an indication of pressure/flow as fast as possible after poking the starter button.

[Sean]

I recall reading threads on Blatchat about starter issues. It seems like it was almost always a heat-related issue due to the starter being so close to the exhaust or some other heat-generator, typically solved by a simple heat shield made from a thin sheet of aluminiunium, or whatever they call it over there. A search for "starter" or "click of death" or the like on Blatchat in the Tech Talk section will yield further details.

[Kitcat]

Doesn't seem heat related as tapping it w/a hammer wakes it up & gets it going. RMSC says its a fragile component that can be reliably repaired IF the person knows just what to do. Something to do with a wire that shakes loose and has to rerouted and re-soldered. Clearly neither I nor my mechanic were up to the challenge.

 

So I ordered a "house brand, no-name starter" today from Dave Bean. Cost $218, weighs 8 1/2 pounds. They swear by them. Salesman said no problems with the one in his Europa after 10 years. The Tilton which is also nice costs double and weighs a pound less.