Starter motor removal & reinstallation...
 

Hi all,

I searched for a thread on this but was unable to locate one. There is an issue with my starter motor (only recently bought the car) and I want to try cleaning the solenoid contacts. I have removed the battery box (boy those torx bolts were tight) and have removed the aircleaner box also. I'm unsure as to whether I'll be able to access the 8mm cap bolts while the starter is still in place so I am considering removing the starter.

My question is (2.0 v6 2001, auto, petrol) whether it is just a case of removing the ..three (i think) bolts and then just pull it outward and upward (to avoid the nearby engine mount) and refit the reverse or whether this is a much more complex job that I perhaps shouldn't be attempting.

I'd appreciate any assistance.

Thanks,

Andy.

Hi Andy, from memory three bolts two wires and out it comes, then follow the how to on cleaning the contacts :)

Just to back up stocktake,

Remove the 3 bolts and 2 wires and then removed the starter pulling it out and upwards.

Thanks guys!

Andy.

There's new ones on Ebay from best of British, i got a new one of him a few months back when i needed one, i think i did a offer of £90 and was accepted :)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROVER-75-MGZT-...#ht_500wt_1182

Hi all,

Well I went ahead and did it - Removed the starter, undid the solenoid plate and cleaned the contacts (they were quite badly pitted). After this I refitted everything (battery box, air cleaner etc) and tried to start the car...

Just the single "click" and nothing else.

I double checked the battery charge and used a booster too just to be certain but no luck.

Any ideas as to what a good next step in the diagnosis may be?

Thanks,

Andy.

ps... I've heard something about a starter inhibitor switch. Is this something easy to get to and if so, is there a way that I can bypass it to rule this out as a potential cause?

I've sen this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROVER-75-2-0-V...item5881f9bc9e

on ebay however it doesn't say that it is the one for the automatic so I'm not sure whether to just buy it or not. The part number is;

Hi Andy,

The single "click" is the starter solenoid operating which means that your starter inhibitor switch must be working. According to MG Rover its electrical multiplug is mounted in the region of the automatic transmission oil pan, but I can't find it on the circuit diagrams to give you the wiring colours. I would be cautious about disturbing it unnecessarily as MGR says a service tool is required to reset it.

It appears that despite your solenoid moving, the motor is still not getting an electrical supply. It could be that your solenoid contacts are too worn to respond to cleaning. If you have a multimeter you can check their effectiveness. I believe that a repair kit is available from X-Part for the solenoid (there has been a recent thread on this). Do not buy a second-hand starter motor from e-bay (unless you're a keen gambler!). If a complete replacement does become necessary, get a proper exchange unit from X-Part or a motor factor or Rimmers. But I think your problem is still with the solenoid.

Simon.

Thanks for that. The connections were quite badly pitted and dirty but with my limited knowledge of things electrical I had thought that provided I sanded all the deposits of the plunger head and the contacts (they were nice and shiny by the time that I had finished), that they should then make the required contacts again.

I suppose what I perhaps should have done was to reconnect the cables to the starter and have held it in my hands and had the wife turn the key to see whether or not it was operational before refitting - Still... at least I had put some wd40 on all the bolts to the battery box etc before refitting so it should be easy to remove again ;-)

My concern now though is that I get the repair kit and then find that there is an issue with the "motor" side of the starter and have to replace it anyway. Do you know if there is any test that can be done of the actual motor (whilst out of the car) by connecting current to any particular terminals of the starter? That may then enable me to have a clearer picture of what isn't working.

Thanks,

Andy.

Andy,

The solenoid contacts which you cleaned connect the very large diameter cable from battery +ve to the starter motor. If you by-pass these contacts then yes, you can test the motor independently. Forgive me for asking this, but is your electrical knowledge up to this test? The current involved is enormous and if you accidentally choose the wrong terminal on the motor assembly you could destroy your solenoid or short out your battery.

In my view, your first test should be checking your cleaned contacts for continuity with a multimeter on a resistance range.

Simon.

Hi upstream.I had exactly the same problem on my V6,even after cleaning the contacts the starter wouldnt engage most of the time without clicking.I got a Repair Kit off eBay,fitted it ,and it's working perfectly since.If you're in any doubt as to which kit to get,eMail the seller your VIN No,and state whether it's Auto or Manual,and you'll get the right one.I got mine sent from UK to Rep of Irl in less than a week.

Yes...

I think you guys are right. I'm not going to go messing about with trying to undertake electrical tests and will order one of those repair kits off ebay today (i think they're only about £10).

Thanks - I'll keep you informed of my progress,

Andy.

Hello gentlemen!

Well - I ordered the repair kit from an ebay seller and it arrived this morning.

This afternoon I quickly removed the battery box etc (the bolts weren't too tight as I had only recently done it) and removed the starter.

I then swiftly took it inside and after removing the old bits, installed the parts from the kit. Interestingly - although I had cleaned the old contacts thoroughly what I hadn't noticed was the deep tracks that had been worn into them over time. I think this must have been the issue because after popping the starter back in, reconnecting the battery etc and turning the key - the car fired into life beautifully!

Going slightly off topic... When I initially was removing the starter I had noticed that (you know the two rubber pipes from the air cleaner?) the larger of those two pipes must have been removed at some point in the past because the bottom edge was outside the clip and as a result there was a small gap there. This probably explains why the car did seem to idle slightly "off" when I had originally driven it as I imagine that air would have been getting sucked into there (or blown out) of there.

Anyway guys after initially feeling somewhat deflated after my first experience I'm over the moon at the moment and ready to start on the next thing (3 speed fan replacement).

Thanks - You little rippers! (As Australians would say).

Ps... Can how do I sign up as an official member?

pps... I noticed that the car idles at around 800 rpm. Is this about right?

Andy.

Pleased to hear that Andy! Thanks for letting us know. Told you that you wouldn't need a new starter motor. :D

You don't have to replace it. You can fit new brushes at very little cost. Should be a piece of cake for a solenoid repair man!

Click on "subscribe" in the top right hand corner of this page.

Yes, and only the ECU can adjust it.

Welcome to the wonderful world of successful 75/ZT maintenance.

Simon.

Thanks for subscribing, you'll see your username is now in red, denoting subscribed member, this is an automated system, as soon as the PP notification arrives your account is updated, this usually takes just a few seconds.

Nice one Andy, pleasd to hear your sorted, Fan brushes are a little more involved. There is a how to somewhere :). If you get stuck just give a shout :)

Sarter problem.
 

Hi all
just spent a couple of days trudging through the various forums trying to diagnose my problem ,,, turn the key all dash and coil lights do what they are supposed to go ,, but nothing from the starter motor this has never happened until two days ago. Had a look at the drainage ecu ok but the outlet was blocked with about an inch of water, but I checked the ecu box and it seemed dry after getting my dynorod stuff to sort the drainage out and put it all back together jump leads connected hey presto started up### but my glee was short lived took car for a spin left off for about ten minutes and dead again turned the key held it on for about four seconds and it started again (strange the delay ???)
anyway gone out this evening jump leads holding switch on nothing.
I will try the solenoid contacts see if that fixes it .I will update if this works.

PS do you have to take the battery box off to take the starter out ?
Diesel saloon model cdt 2.00 L

Hi there,
Mine is the petrol 2.0 v6. From what I could see on mine there would be no way of getting to the starter bolts without removing the battery box and aircleaner box. Also - when removing the starter you need to pull it upwards and outwards into the space that the battery box occupies.

The biggest hassle with the battery box was the torx bolts (x4) that were very tight indeed - I can't even begin to imagine why they'd have needed to be that tight just to hold the battery in place.

Andy.

well put the new contacts for starter solenoids on and put it all back together and still the same no turning over eventually ran a trace wire from the starter to
the battery and this turns over the starter and started the car .. but i don't want to be doing this every day . could the problem be to do with the immobiliser not allowing charge to the solenoid ? , or is there a fuse for the starter solenoid ?
thanks in advance for any tips?