Club 80-90 Forums

Hello, Can someone help?

1984 VW Transporter
1.9 Petrol

I am currently on the 3rd starter motor in 6 months. Each one works fine at the start but eventually dies after about 2 months. I have bought them from two separate companies so im sure that its not the supplier thats the problem.

Things ive checked:

**The fly wheel looks good (no obvious problems with the teeth and can be moved by hand easily enough.

**The bush was replaced with each and goes in tight.

**The starter motor is on tight and feels secure.

Ive noticed that when the van warms up the starter finds it more difficult to start and is slower at turning (sometimes with a "ruup" sound.

Im not very good with electrics, but is it possible that the starter is getting two much electricity and burning out???


Please help as im running out of money and need the van for our summer holiday (if the summer every comes).

Many Thanks

Unlikely to be too much voltage, its job getting enough to it usually, get a volt meter and measure the voltage from the big bolt on the side at rest and then during starting and running normally. should ideally be in the range 12-14Volts. They can burn out if the inner moving part touches the outer body this shouldn't be the case though if your motor is securely bolted and bush in place. cant think of anything else just now.

are these brand new, recon or scrap? If the former, have the suppliers offered any views as to failure causes? What are the symptoms of the failure apart from slow turning whn warm and odd noise, anything else?

I had one fail due to internal switch (linked to solenoid) failing, i replaced solenoid only to find a little later that it stopped engaging with fly wheel, not due to the usual reason that's trottted out about the bearing but because they have a clutch mechanism which eventually just wears out. This can be replaced at much less cost than a whole recon.

To go through three seems very bizarre, you need to be sure, as Hacksawbob said, that your getting a full voltage down there consistently so you can be absolutely certain your rash of failures is just that.

A local autoelectrician will soon test the starter circuit for you possibly for free or maybe a small charge. There's and national outift caled LSUK (used to be Lucas). My local one has always been very helpful


Cheers
Jim

did you get this problem sorted?

i had this prob.2000cu motor. gsf list two starters i had one which , when i went to fit it , the solenoid appeard out of position by a quarter turn. the leads were long enough and it worked!!

BUT i kept killing em approx every three to six months which i put down to crap starters but when i went to get a replacement this time they did nt have the "normal" one just the other type which when fitted returned the solenoid to the correct position and has worked ever since.
the only visable diff between the starters was the length of the shaft (ooer missus!!)
worth looking at i reckon!!