Starter brush: do-it-yourself replacement

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

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

One of the most common starter malfunctions is the wear of electric brushes, as a result of which it loses the ability to fully work, and eventually ceases to function at all. Fortunately for car owners, this breakdown is not critical, unless, of course, it is diagnosed and fixed in time. In this article, we will look at how do-it-yourself starter brushes are replaced in VAZ-2109, 2110 cars.

The principle of operation of the VAZ starter

First, let's look at the principle of operation of the launcher. As already mentioned, the starter is an electric motor that consumes direct current from the battery. VAZ-2109 and 2110 cars are equipped with four-pole brush starters with solenoid relays. Outwardly, they differ in size and type of attachment. In everything that concernsprinciple of operation, starters "nine" and "ten" are identical.

The scheme for switching on the device is as follows: when the ignition key is turned, voltage is applied to the windings of the solenoid relay and brushes, as a result of which its drive engages with the flywheel crown. At the same time, the motor is started. Its shaft begins to turn the flywheel through the bendix - a gear of a special design that provides reliable engagement. When the crankshaft speed begins to exceed the number of rotations of the starter armature, the latter is disconnected using a return spring.

Brushes and brush holder

Structurally, the VAZ starter brush is a graphite or copper-graphite parallelepiped measuring 14.5x13x6.2 mm. A stranded copper wire with an aluminum fastener at the end is connected and pressed into it.

Given 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 a special block - a brush holder. It is made of a dielectric material and is designed not only for reliable fixation, but also for pressing them to the working surface of the armature, providing the so-called sliding contact.

Main malfunction

The starter brush most often fails due to wear. It simply wears off and stops contacting the collector plates. Wear may not affect performance at firststarting device, but over time it will definitely declare itself. It also happens that the starter brushes of the VAZ-2109, 2110 are destroyed due to mechanical damage, for example, due to a collector malfunction, factory defects, bearing malfunctions, shaft bearing sleeve, etc. As for normal wear, this malfunction is inevitable, however, it easily removed with your own hands.

Signs of wear

Worn-out starter brushes VAZ-2110 or VAZ-2109 can make themselves known by the following signs:

• when trying to start the engine, only clicks of the starter relay are heard;
• non-standard sound of a running starter (creaking, crackling);
• heating of the body of the device, the appearance of a characteristic burnt smell.

Having found such malfunctions, it is highly not recommended to try to start the car with a starter. This way you can significantly aggravate the situation.

Diagnosis

How to determine that the worn starter brushes 2109, 2110 of the VAZ model became the cause of the problem? First you need to make sure that there is no open circuit in the electrical circuit of the device. Check if the ground wire connection is secure. If everything is ok with them, take an insulated wire and connect the positive lead of the starter to the positive terminal of the battery. Do not forget to turn on neutral gear and ignition before this. If the problem is in the wiring, the starter will work and start the engine.

If this did not happen, the starterfor further diagnostics, you will have to dismantle.

Removing the starter

Dismantling the starting device begins by disconnecting the ground wire from the battery. For greater convenience, it is better to put the car on a viewing hole and dismantle the engine protection. It is easier to remove the device from below.

Next, we find the starter and disconnect the power wire of the traction relay from it. After that, unscrew the nut securing the positive wire (key to "13"). Using the key to “15”, we unscrew the two (for “nines” three) bolts securing the starter to the clutch housing. We dismantle the starting device. As you can see, the process is quite simple and does not require special skills.

Additional check

Before disassembling the starter, you can check it again. To do this, the device must be connected to the ground with the appropriate output and to the positive terminal of the battery. If it does not show signs of life, try turning it over. Usually, if one or more of the starter brushes are worn out, they sink and lose contact with the commutator, and when turned over, everything falls into place and the electric motor can work as if nothing had happened.

Disassemble the launcher

At the initial stage, you need to unscrew the two screws securing the shaft cover to the rear of the starter with a screwdriver. Remove the cover, o-ring and gasket. After that, loosen 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 willbe held on contact wires.

Next, you should inspect the brush holder itself. If it has signs of mechanical damage, it must be replaced. Maybe that's where the problem lies. Pay attention to the device collector. All of his copper plates should be in place. If they show signs of wear (chips, cracks, traces of the consequences of a short circuit), the anchor will also have to be changed.

Replacing starter brushes VAZ

The process of replacing the brushes 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 the new ones in the same way.

Next, each 2110 or 2109 starter brush is placed in its seat on top of the pressure spring. When this is done, the brush assembly must be placed on the collector. To do this, the brushes are alternately recessed inside the cell, and the anchor scrolls in one direction. After that, we assemble the starter according to the reverse algorithm. Before installing the starting device, we check it in the manner described above. If the starter works, then you did everything right.

Which brushes to choose

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

For convenience, when choosing, use these catalog numbers:

• 3708000 – set of brushes;
• 2101-3708340– brush assembly assembly.

You can't go wrong by pointing them out to the seller.

Some useful tips

To keep your starter brushes running as long as possible, follow these tips:

1. When replacing, you do not need to buy them in the first available tray at the car market. It is better to contact a specialized store and buy certified spare parts. You should also not fit brushes from another make or model of car, turning them to the right size.
2. When starting the engine, do not force the starting device to operate for more than 5-7 seconds. So you can burn not only the brushes and the commutator, but also the winding of the electric motor, as well as the wiring that provides its power. In addition, do not try to start the engine when the battery is obviously dead.
3. Do not allow the starter to work while the car engine is running, and if such situations arise involuntarily, contact a car service immediately.
4. Keep the body of the device clean. Dirt and oil deposits can cause a short circuit.
5. Pay attention to the operation of the starter. If you know that the battery is charged, and the starting device does not provide the number of revolutions of the crankshaft needed to start, most likely there is a short to the housing, a clogged brush assembly, or a break in one of the windings. In this case, it is also better to immediately contact a service station.
6. Rapid wear of the brushes can also cause a failure of the bearing or shaft support sleeve. In this case, 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 the device makes during operation.