Starter Motor - Feed Circuit
- Make sure the battery is fully charged. See
BATTERY CAPACITY TEST INSPECTION
.
- Disconnect the fuel pump shutoff switch.
- Connect a remote starter switch between the starter solenoid S-terminal and the battery positive terminal.
- Connect the multimeter positive lead to the battery positive post. Connect negative lead to the starter solenoid M-terminal.
- Engage the remote starter switch. Read and record the voltage. The voltage reading should be 0.5 volts or less.
Courtesy of MAZDA MOTORS CORP.
- If the voltage reading is 0.5 volts or less, go to the Starter Motor-Ground Circuit Component Test below.
- If the voltage reading is greater than 0.5 volts, indicating excessive resistance, move the multimeter negative lead to the starter solenoid B-terminal and repeat the test. If the voltage reading at the B-terminal is lower than 0.5 volts, the concern is either in the connections at the starter solenoid or in the solenoid contacts.
- Remove the cables from solenoid B-, S- and M-terminals. Clean the cables and connections and reinstall the cables to the proper terminals. Repeat Steps 3 through 6. If the voltage drop reading is still greater than 0.5 volts when checked at the M-terminal or less than 0.5 volts when checked at the B-terminal, the concern is in the solenoid contacts. Replace the starter motor. See
STARTER MOTOR REMOVAL / INSTALLATION - 2.3L
, see
STARTER MOTOR REMOVAL / INSTALLATION - 3.0L
or See
STARTER MOTOR REMOVAL / INSTALLATION - 4.0L
.
- If the voltage reading taken at the solenoid B-terminal is still greater than 0.5 volts after cleaning the cables and connections at the solenoid, the concern is either in the positive battery cable connection or in the positive battery cable.
- By moving the multimeter toward the battery and checking each mechanical connection point, the excessive voltage drop can be located. When the high reading disappears, the last mechanical point that was checked is the concern. Repair or replace this connection as required.