Starter Lada Granta: repair, replacement, diagnostics, selection

general information

A starter is an electric motor operating on permanent magnets, having an electromagnetic two-motor traction relay and a planetary gearbox.
Their cases are made of steel, six magnets are fixed to the case, and the case itself and the covers are tightened with several bolts. The starter armature shaft is put into rotation mode by two bearings, one of which, a ball bearing, is installed near the manifold, the second, a plain bearing, is installed next to the drive. Thanks to the gearbox, torque is transmitted to the starter drive shaft. The drive shaft is equipped with an overrunning clutch with a drive gear moving along the splines of the shaft. It is the clutch that ensures the transmission of torque from the starter to the motor, separating these elements after the engine starts. This condition ensures proper protection of the starter from possible damage that it may receive due to its high rotation speed.

The relay is designed to engage the drive gear with the teeth of the crankshaft flywheel mechanism, as well as to activate the starter power supply. Thus, by turning the key in the lock, the driver begins the process of supplying electric current to the starter from the battery. The starter is set in motion and turns the crankshaft, starting the engine and igniting the combustible mixture.

After starting the engine, the crankshaft speed begins to increase, however, the clutch protects the starter from damage. After the driver returns the key in the lock to the “ignition” position, the relay winding will de-energize and its armature will return to its original position, while the relay contacts will open and the drive gear will disengage from the flywheel teeth. At the same time, the power contacts supplying electric current to the starter motor windings will open.

In addition, the starter is one of the most powerful energy consumers on a car; when starting the engine, the electric current it consumes reaches 400 A or more. For this reason, all electrical connections between the starter and the battery must have reliable contact.

The elements that Grants are equipped with are similar to the starters used by VAZ on its other cars of previous generations. When the engine is in normal condition, two or three turns will be enough to start. Deviations from the norm will be indicated by any of the existing signs of unstable functioning. Possible malfunctions of the drive and starter relay will be revealed by inspection carried out after disassembling the part.

Problems with the starter, ways to solve them on Lada Granta

Often breakdowns are associated with electrical and mechanical components. Therefore, it is important to be able to separate one from the other. Without experience in servicing a technical device, it is better to contact a service center with specialists. Sometimes unprofessional intervention is more likely to harm than restore a good condition.

Electrical

Damage is typical in the area where the current flows from the battery to the starting device (hereinafter referred to as the PU).

• Slow rotation of the rotor, the starter does not start;
• Lack of response when current is supplied to the control unit;
• The control unit clicks, but does not turn: short circuit on the turns, broken wiring, faulty solenoid relay;
• wear of brushes, armatures.

To exclude other breakdowns of adjacent mechanisms, check:

• battery charge level;
• tightness of terminals on the battery;
• electrical wiring in the area from the battery to the starter;
• condition of the ignition switch core.

Mechanical

This type of breakdown is most often caused by malfunctions of the ring, overrunning clutch fork, defects in the flywheel, or pressure spring. Lack of rotation of the crankshaft is the first sign of mechanical failure of the control unit.

If the rotation of the flywheel is accompanied by a characteristic metallic grinding noise, it means the teeth have worn out.

The control unit continues to rotate after the engine starts:

• the return spring burst;
• contact sticking;
• relay is faulty;
• drive shaft deformation;
• damage to the support bearing.
• The starting device starts, but not the first time: the contact board of the traction relay burns out;
• The PU rotates, but with great difficulty: wear of the brush assembly, wear of the bearing;
• Delay in the shaft disengagement: wear of the shaft teeth, bendix.

Starter operating rules

According to AvtoVAZ standards, the time between failures is not regulated for starters, therefore, this indicator can be considered infinite. But they still have to be changed, and this is due to car owners violating operating rules. Car enthusiasts often complain about the quality of starters, pointing out that they are not able to last more than 50,000 km on domestically produced cars. But only a few of them know how to use this device correctly and correctly. Following a few simple recommendations will help you protect yourself from a whole list of starter malfunctions:

• When starting the engine, it is necessary to hold the PU for 10 to 15 seconds; restarting is carried out no earlier than half a minute later. Frequent and continuous operation of the PU leads to systematic overheating of the overrunning clutch, thereby provoking its premature wear. Remember - if there are three consecutive unsuccessful attempts to start the engine, the problem should be looked for in the wiring, fuel equipment or ignition system;
• After starting the engine, immediately turn off the starter, for which you will need to release the key in the lock;
• Many experienced car owners do not recommend using PU when temporarily driving a car (this is what novice drivers often do when the battery is discharged or there is damage to the power supply circuit).

Three types of starters

All “Grants” of the first years of production were equipped with a starter “21120-3708010-00”. It is secured with three nuts. And then, with the transition to the generation of cars with a cable gearbox, screw fastening began to be used. You can quickly find out which starter is installed:

• Box 2190 – starter 21120-3708010-00;
• Box 2181 – 21901-3708010-00;
• Automation Jatco – 21902-3708010-00.

As you can see, the choice of starter is carried out “according to the gearbox” and does not depend on the engine model.

Types of starters used on Grants

All cars produced in the first years of production of the model were equipped with a starter 21120-3708010-00, which was secured with three nuts. But gradually the manufacturer switched to producing cars with a cable transmission, after which the starter began to be secured with screws. The owner can find out about the type of starter installed on his car by looking at the box, for example:

• boxes 2190 correspond to parts 21120-3708010-00;
• on vehicles equipped with 2181 gearboxes, starters 21901-3708010-00 are installed;
• Jatco automatics correspond to starters 21902-3708010-00.

Main components of the Lada Granta starter

The figure below shows the constituent elements and their names in the starter of the Lada Granta car

Fig. 2. Parts of the Lada Granta starter: 1 – screw securing the traction relay; 2 – front cover; 3 – support ring; 4 – restrictive ring; 5 – lever support; 6 – freewheel; 7 – relay anchor; 8 – lock washer; 9 – return spring; 10 – spacer washer; 11 – traction relay; 12 – drive shaft support; 13 – drive shaft; 14 – planetary gear (satellite); 15 – planetary gear cover; 16 – back cover; 17 – brush holder fastening screw; 18 – coupling bolt; 19 – connecting busbar with insulated brushes; 20 – brush holder with “negative” brushes; 21 – pressure spring; 22 – anchor; 23 – drive lever; 24 – body

Instructions for changing the starter on a car with gearbox 2190

First, disconnect the negative terminal from the battery using a 10mm wrench. Then the sensor connector located at the air filter is disconnected and the filter box is removed with pliers from the three mounting points. After removing the box, it is recommended to put it aside; the assembly must be securely fixed using wire for this purpose.

Carrying out dismantling work

The starter module is held in place by studs, and nuts are screwed onto them, but dismantling should not begin by unscrewing them:

• The first thing you need to do is remove the rubber cap, then unscrew the copper nut with a 13mm wrench;

• The next step is to remove the power wire terminal, after which you should disconnect the connector intended for supplying control voltage;

• Next, use a 13mm wrench and unscrew the three nuts securing the starter. Particular attention should be paid to the bottom, most inaccessible nut;

• The part module is then carefully pushed back and removed from the studs. Installation work includes actions similar to dismantling, performed in the opposite sequence.

Instructions for changing the starter on a car with gearbox 2181 or automatic transmission

Initially, you will need to disconnect the battery using a 10mm wrench, then the car will be moved to the inspection hole. Using a size 10 spanner, unscrew the two screws holding the middle shield, after which all nine screws are unscrewed (to solve this problem, use a size 8 spanner).

Next, you will need to remove the middle and left panels, for which you need to unscrew two more screws. However, when changing the starter on sedans with automatic transmission, you can get by by removing only the main shield, which is held in place by eight screws, four of which are located in front, and two more on the left and right sides. They can also be unscrewed using a 8mm spanner.

Lada Granta - repair and check of starter

Due to the high load during operation, the starter installed on VAZ 2190 Lada Granta cars cannot be called a very reliable unit. However, even if you have doubts about its serviceability, before immediately trying to disassemble and repair the starter, it is recommended to perform several simple checks...

Preliminary check of the functionality of the Lada Granta starter

First of all, it is necessary to check the condition of the mechanical part, for which, using a flat screwdriver, the ease of movement of the coupling is assessed, as well as the rotation of the drive gear (the gear should rotate without jamming and exclusively in the direction of rotation of the armature).

To check the overall performance of the starter, you will need a battery and a set of power wires, usually used for lighting (with alligator clips), while connecting the “negative” terminal of the battery to the starter housing, and connecting the “plus” terminal to the control terminal of the traction relay. When the traction relay is in normal condition, a characteristic click should be heard and the clutch should move to the forward position. If these conditions are not met, repairs will most likely be limited to replacing the traction relay.

If there are no complaints about the operation of the traction relay, disconnect the wire from its control terminal and connect it to the lower contact bolt, and the armature should begin to rotate (be careful, the rotation speed is more than 5000 rpm).

Disassembly and repair of Lada Granta starter

When performing disassembly, first of all, unscrew the nut securing the tire and disconnect the tire from the contact bolt of the traction relay. At the next stage, we dismantle the traction relay, for which we unscrew the two mounting screws. Next, slightly lifting it up (at the same time the armature loop is removed from the lever) we remove the traction relay armature from the socket.

When disassembling the starter itself, first unscrew the two mounting screws and remove the back cover along with the brush assembly. After this, we remove the armature from the housing and, by removing the cover, open the drive mechanism with the gearbox. Next, disconnect the glider gear mechanism.

During preventive inspection and repair, the condition of the teeth of the planetary gears, as well as their needle bearings, is checked. When damage is detected and obvious operation, such gears are changed. The integrity of the plastic lever support is also checked at the gearbox. It should also not be heavily worn or deformed.

To check the condition of the brush assembly, unscrew two screws in the housing cover and disconnect the brush assembly from it. Sequentially pressing the latches, remove each brush along with the pressure spring. The height of the brushes must be at least 4 mm (measurement is made from the edge of the working surface to the “pigtail of wires”), and the springs must not be too compressed or deformed (defective elements must be replaced).

As for the starter armature, there should be no signs of burning, marks or other mechanical damage on the surface of its commutator (A). If such defects are detected, the collector can be polished with fine-grain glass sandpaper. When the heart wobbles, its beat relative to the axles should be no more than 0.08 mm. Otherwise the anchor changes. At the winding (B) of the armature, the reliability of the soldering of the leads is checked, as well as the condition of the winding at the ends of the armature. It is mandatory to check the windings and use a standard ohmmeter or a test lamp with a supply voltage of 12 V for the absence of a short circuit. In the latter case, the voltage from the battery should be applied to the armature core and the collector plate (in the absence of a short circuit, the lamp should not light).

After all the above checks are completed, the VAZ 2190 starter is assembled in the reverse order, with fresh lubricant applied to the drive gear teeth, shaft screw splines, planetary gears and other moving parts. As a lubricant, you can use CIATIM-201 (202, 203) or Litol 24. Upon completion of repair and assembly, it is recommended to check the starter for operability using the technology indicated above.

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Dismantling works

After opening access to the starter, you must perform the following steps:

• First, you should disconnect the control connector, for which the locking tab is lightly pressed;
• Then the rubber cap is moved aside and the nut is unscrewed using a 13mm wrench from the terminal;

• The power terminal is removed, after which the three mounting screws located at the top and bottom are unscrewed with a 13 key.

Note that you need to start with the two lower screws, and the top one should be unscrewed last, while the starter housing must be held, then the housing is carefully tilted back. Installation work is carried out in the reverse order of dismantling.

Replacement and installation of Lada Granta starter

Dismantling begins only after the source of the breakdown has been accurately identified. We prepare in advance a set of tools, rags, lubricant, additional lighting, a screwdriver with a set of bits.

• We fix the car on the inspection channel, fix the wheel chocks, and activate the parking brake for personal safety. The presence of a hydraulic lift will become an indispensable assistant during repairs;
• We remove the terminals from the battery in order to prevent a short circuit in the circuit;
• From under the bottom, unscrew the left side of the engine protection, the mudguard. The board protects the engine compartment from below from dirt, stones, gravel, and mechanical damage to the crankcase and cylinder block;
• Using keys “15”, “13”, unscrew the locking nuts, remove the power terminal from the contact board, and remove the starting device from its standard place.

After dismantling, we install a new control unit and assemble the structure in the reverse order. If you want to reassemble an existing starter, then the operating algorithm is as follows: disassemble the PU into its component elements, clean it, wipe it dry.

We carry out troubleshooting of components, replacing worn components with new ones. It is unacceptable to use faulty parts for re-installation.

During installation, do not forget to lubricate the splines and shaft teeth to prevent friction, squeaking, and excessive wear.

If you encounter difficulties with installing the control unit, watch the video online and get advice from service station specialists.

Components from AvtoVAZ and possible foreign analogues

Initially, KZATE starters were supplied to AvtoVAZ, but since 2011, Valeo has become the main supplier of these parts. For this reason, the current list of components with analogues is as follows:

• Starter 21120-3708010-00 (KATEK, KZATE, ZiT) - they are similar to Fenox ST32101C3 starters;
• Starter 21901-3708010-00 (VALEO) – its analogue is VALEO TS12E901;
• Starter 21902-3708010-00 (VALEO) – similar to VALEO TS12E902.

Do not forget that none of the three options above are interchangeable with the others: the second and third differ in the number of teeth, and elements from KZATE and VALEO are not compatible due to fastenings.

Originals, analogues, articles and prices

*check prices at the time of purchase from an authorized dealer.

The manufacturing quality of domestic and foreign starters is approximately the same. It is not advisable to overpay 10–15% of the cost for a brand. Although, this is everyone's business.