Volvo 240/1989 starter problems

[Costas]

I am on my third starter. They keep giving up and the car will not start. I have to hit it a few times with a hammer. Any ideas?

[joshua]

Where are you getting your starters from? I don't know volvos very well but is there a separate starter relay. Most starters have them mounted on themselves but there are other cars like Ford who mount there starter relay on the wheel well. If not how long are you cranking your starter over to start you car. Starters do have a duty cycle and if exceeded will over heat the starter and cause it to fail. You should not need to crank the started for no more than 5 sec to start you car. If you do your car is in need of service. A good duty cycle that a starter could handle in colder weather would be about 5 sec on 25 to 30 sec off. Remember your starter can be pulling up to 900amps during starting and will heat up rapidly. Also the connection from your battery to the starter is very important. If they are corroded it will cause your starter to draw more current because it will turn slower than normal hence burning it out faster. Hope some of this info helps.

Good luck!