Starter brush: self-replacing

The launch of a modern car engine is provided with a starter. It is an electromechanical device based on an ordinary electric motor, powered by a battery. Its design is simple enough and relatively reliable, but it also requires timely maintenance and repair.

One of the most common malfunctions of the starter is the wear of electric brushes, as a result of which it loses its ability to work fully, and eventually ceases to function. Fortunately for car owners, this breakdown is not critical, unless, of course, it is diagnosed and eliminated in time. In this article, we'll look at how to replace the starter brushes with your own hands in VAZ-2109, 2110 cars.

The principle of the VAZ starter

To begin with, we will understand in principle the operation of the launcher. As already mentioned, the starter is an electric motor that consumes direct current from the battery. Cars VAZ-2109 and 2110 are equipped with four-pole brush starting devices with retracting relays. Outwardly, they differ in size and type of attachment. In all that concerns the principle of work, the starters of the "nine" and "ten" are identical.

The scheme of switching on the device is as follows: when the ignition key is turned to the windings of the retractor relay and the brush, a voltage is applied, so that its drive engages with the flywheel ring. At the same time, the motor starts. Its shaft begins to twist the flywheel through a bendix-pinion of a special design, which ensures reliable engagement. When the crankshaft turns start to exceed the number of rotations of the starter armature, the latter is disconnected by a return spring.

Brushes and brush holder

Structurally, the VAZ starter brush is a graphite or copper-graphite parallelepiped with a size of 14.5x13x6.2 mm. A stranded copper wire with aluminum fastening at the end is brought to it and pressed.

Considering that the VAZ-2109 and 2110 starters are four-pole, four brushes are needed to ensure their operation. Two of them are connected to the mass of the device, and two - to the positive wire coming from the battery.

Each starter brush is fixed in a separate cell of the special block - the brush holder. It is made of dielectric material and is designed not only to securely fix, but also to press them against the working surface of the armature, providing a so-called sliding contact.

Basic malfunction

The starter brush often fails due to wear. Simply, it is erased and ceases to contact the collector plates. At first, wear can not affect the operation of the launcher, but eventually it will necessarily declare itself. It also happens that the brushes of the starter VAZ-2109, 2110 are destroyed due to mechanical damages, for example, due to a malfunction of the collector, factory rejection, bearing faults, shaft bearing sleeve, etc. As for normal wear, this malfunction is unavoidable, however Can be easily eliminated with your own hands.

Signs of wear

The wiped brushes of a starter VAZ-2110 or VAZ-2109 can declare themselves by the following signs:

• When trying to start the engine only the clicks of the relay of the trigger device are heard;
• Non-standard sound of a working starter (squeak, crack);
• Heating the body of the device, the appearance of a characteristic burnt odor.

Having discovered such malfunctions, trying to start a car with a starter is not recommended. So you can significantly aggravate the situation.

Diagnostics

How, then, to determine that the cause of the problem was precisely worn starter brushes 2109, 2110 model VAZ? First, make sure that there is no breakage in the electrical circuit of the device. Check the connection of the wires to the ground. If they are all right, take an insulated wire and connect the positive terminal of the starter to the positive terminal of the battery. Do not forget to turn on the neutral gear and ignition before doing this. If there is a problem in the wiring, the starter will start and start the engine.

If this does not happen, the starter for further diagnosis will have to be dismantled.

Starter Removal

We begin dismantling the starting device by disconnecting the ground wire from the battery. For greater convenience, it is better to put the car on the pit and dismantle the engine protection. It is easier to remove the device from the bottom.

Next we find the starter and detach the power supply cable of the traction relay from it. After that, unscrew the nut of fixing the positive wire (key to "13"). Using the key on the "15" unscrew the two (for "nine" three) bolts fastening the starter to the clutch housing. We dismantle the launcher. As you can see, the process is quite simple, and does not require special skills.

additional verification

Before you start disassembling the starter, you can check it again. To do this, the device must be connected to the ground with a corresponding terminal and to the positive terminal of the battery. If it does not show signs of life, try turning it over. Usually if one starter brush or several of them is worn out, they fall and lose contact with the collector, and when it turns, everything falls into place, and the electric motor can work as if nothing had happened.

We disassemble the starting device

At the initial stage, it is required to unscrew the two screws securing the shaft cover on the back of the starter using a screwdriver. Remove the cover, o-ring and gasket. After that, we release the two nuts of the tie rods and dismantle the brush holder assembly. In this case, the brushes will fall out of their seats under the action of the springs, but they will be held on the contact wires.

Next, you should inspect the brush holder. If it has traces of mechanical damage, it must be replaced. Maybe that's where the cause of the malfunction lies. Pay attention to the collector of the device. All of its copper plates should be in place. If they have signs of wear (chips, cracks, traces of short-circuit effects), you will have to change the anchor.

Replacement Brushes Starter VAZ

The process of brush replacement will not take more than 20 minutes. All you need to do is unscrew the contact wires of each of the elements on the brush holder, and connect in a similar way the new ones.

Further, each starter brush 2110 or 2109 is placed in its seat over the clamping spring. When this is done, the brush assembly must be put on the collector. To do this, the brushes are alternately heated inside the cell, and the armature scrolls to one side. After that, we build the starter in the reverse algorithm. Before installing the launcher, we check it in the manner described above. If the starter has earned, then you did it right.

Which brushes to choose

A few words about the brushes themselves. If you decide to replace them, then you should change not one or two, but all four. Otherwise, after a while you will again have to return to this procedure, and uneven wear will not bring anything good.

For convenience in choosing, use these catalog numbers:

• 3708000 - a set of brushes;
• 2101-3708340 - the brush assembly in the assembly.

Pointing them to the seller, you definitely will not go wrong.

Some useful tips

To keep the starter brushes working as long as possible, follow these tips:

1. When replacing, you do not need to buy them in the first tray in the car market. It is better to contact a specialized store and buy certified spare parts. Do not also customize the brushes from another brand or model of car, grinding them to the desired size.
2. When starting the engine, do not make the launcher work more than 5-7 seconds. So you can burn not only the brushes and the collector, but also the winding of the electric motor, as well as the wiring providing its power. In addition, you do not need to try to start the engine with a battery that is clearly discharged.
3. Do not allow the starter to work when the car's engine is running, and if such situations occur involuntarily, immediately contact the car service center.
4. Keep the device housing clean. Dirt and oily deposits can cause short circuits.
5. Pay attention to the work of the starter. If you know that the battery is charged, and the starting device does not provide the required crankshaft speed to start, there is likely to be a short to the housing, a clogging of the brush assembly, or a break in one of the windings. In this case, it is also better to contact the service station immediately.
6. Quick wear of the brushes can also provoke a malfunction of the bearing or bearing sleeve of the shaft. At the same time, the anchor warps and "eats" them on one side. It is quite difficult to detect such a malfunction without disassembling the starter, so pay attention to the sound produced by the device during operation.