Thank you Steve :icon_lol: I have pdf'd it for posterity :bowdown: and, repaired the How To....:D

I look forward to your other repairs and up-dates :Holly1:

Cheers for this just finished the job,that bolt holding the Starter on is a tricky little monkey! carried out the steps just described top "How to" don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but when reassembling the left hand contact i squeezed the screw/bolt into the connector in my vice (rather than chance braking the insulator when taking it up with the spanner).
So far starts first time.Thanks again...

[QUOTE]]

Hi Ian.
Great to hear the how to as helped make them worth while, some new ones coming this year ABS etc

It was just too darn cold to mess around taking gearboxes off today (as part of my clutch change saga) - the thermometer in the garage said minus 2 !

So I decided to do a little job on the bench next to a nice warm fan heater !. I had a look at the contacts in the starter I had removed from the car, and in spite of low mileage (43,000) they did not look great. Since I had a repair kit on the shelf, I put in a new plunger and contacts using Steve's how-to (very useful). I agree that it is good idea to press the left hand contact onto the bolt in a vice before refitting, to avoid potentially cracking the insulator as you tighten the bolt. Hopefully the starter will now be good for another 12 years of life.

Thanks Steve for the great how-to - working slowly, the job only took about 40 minutes.

Cheers

Pete

Hi Pete.
Just picked up on this as I go through my pictorial threads to do my editing of photo's ;) great to see the thread helped, this is one of the jobs I recommend all members take out as most if not all cars 50.000 miles plus will have worn contacts and plunger.

As you quote 45.000 miles yours look quite worn so this is a good preventive job to under take cheers Arctic :}

I have lately been reading a few posts with the starter motor trouble, I can only reiterate that any member with their car over 65,000 miles that this is a good preventive measure, it saves the car from not starting in the winter months ahead. Arctic

PS new plunger and contacts £9.95 fix, link below.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2517556459...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Quick post for our strained starter motors, coming out of a long cold damp winter and maybe all the stop and starting we might have done.

It maybe worth doing this preventive maintenance to your starter now the weather is getting better, you will find the links to the parts through out this thread good motoring to all Arctic. ;)

Diesel
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-ZT-2-0...72.m2749.l2649

V6
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROVER-75-...8AAOSwwbdWO6zG

1.8
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROVER-75-...YAAMXQltxQ9Hap

Once again that time of year when starter motors are going to feel the brunt of the winter stop starting, only over the last few weeks two have been changed one by (trebor) on his car and one yesterday on (Max1) car.

The later one being that it would not start at all so we changed it over with one I had already changed the contacts and plunger on, after about 30 minutes we had the car purring away once more.

Mark below are a couple of photo's of you old contacts and plunger, the starter now as new contacts and a plunger therefore ready to go back into service.

Plunger being removed
https://i.imgur.com/heIqGGRl.jpg1

https://i.imgur.com/zCDD0oVl.jpg2

New & old plunger side by side
https://i.imgur.com/0pNa5NNl.jpg3

Two shots of the old contacts in situ note how worn down the left one is.
https://i.imgur.com/s5l9Tadl.jpg4

Car as 85,000 on the clock I think I am sure Mark will say if I am wrong
https://i.imgur.com/R7tMUnhl.jpg5

Worn down contact removed and next to the new contact
https://i.imgur.com/3iBzdDDl.jpg6

Right hand contact the smaller of the two not worn down as much but still needs changing.
https://i.imgur.com/uRMPeVul.jpg7

both contacts changed & a new plunger being inserted
https://i.imgur.com/NoMVEk8l.jpg8

https://i.imgur.com/tV726Q9l.jpg9

Once again I can only reiterate that it is worth while changing these contacts & plunger as a preventative measure so you do not get caught out when on a journey and get stuck in the winter snow etc, most cars will need them changing around the 70,000 mark more so if your car is used for a lot of stop starting around town or short journey a lot.

You are correct Steve, my car has just clicked over 89,000 miles, once again a big thank you for yesterday, for ensuring I was up and running,and ready for work today.

Did this repair on my ZT-T diesel today. Recently the starter motor has been playing up intermittently so followed Arctic's brilliant how to. It started first time all day since so hoping it's cured the problem.
Once again thanks to Steve, have used several of his how to's for jobs I wouldn't have otherwise tried. The man should be knighted!:bowdown: