Starter Motor

[Vision]

My starter is dying. Replacing it doesn't seem too difficult. Is there anything to know? Also, I take it it's better to replace it than trying to service the connections with a razor blade?

[Ruffus]

@Vision,
starter motors do not die that easily. Except from extraordinary long starting. But your battery would give in before.
Try, before you change your starter motor:

-good battery, car battery or whichever you have
-jumpstart cables
-minus cable from battery minus to a blank metal of your scoots motor
-ignition on
- touch now with the plus cable of your jump-battery this plus cable on top of your starter (pls see pic, that's the plus cable)
-starter should crank and your scoot should start

IF NO CRANKING  and NO START
-starter motor rotten

IF CRANKING and START
-either your starter relais is done or the cabling between relais and starter motor is faulty
Pls check this out and give us a feedback.

[Vision]

I'll try to do that. I do think it's the starter though. From online info it seems starters eventually leak oil into them from the seals and build up corrosion on the electrical connection points.



The starter has been slowly weakening over the years. In the last two days it's too weak to get the engine going when it's cold in the morning so I'll have to kick start it in the morning but the rest of the day it works, it works beautifully when the engine is still hot (after running into a store).

[Ruffus]

👍good point, but either oil or corrosion

[JJJoseph]

I guess it bears repeating: it's easier to suggest solutions if we know what kind of machine you're asking about.  We have here scooters, snow-mobiles, ATVs, and what-all.  It helps a great deal if askers would say what they're asking about.  For example, there's 4 different starters in play in scooterdom, some have bendix drives, and some have centrifugal drives (or clutches). Help us to help you by stating your make and model!

[Ruffus]

@Vision, yes it's worth the try and take an aftermarket starter motor. They are inexpensive for your Agility and should be available from Amaxon or similar in a few days. Easy to change too. Just watch the ground cable behind the starter motor, I had recently two cases of exactely those rotten, which caused an intermitting start problem.
For questions pls see...
https://www.kymcoforum.com/index.php?topic=31637.0
and
https://www.kymcoforum.com/index.php?topic=30827.0

[Vision]

The video below helped and I believe the problem is a bad battery, not a starter.



Ruffus, you were right. Thank you.

[Ruffus]

@Vision, would be more than happy you figure out a bad battery. They guy explains pretty straight forward.