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Good day to you all. This request is related to my friends car. I have not yet seen it, but he says he has been told that the starter motor needs replacing urgently before more serious damage occurs. I presume that the starter motor pinion has worn and is causing a strange noise. The more serious damage referred to is possibly the ring gear. I would like to help him out and remove the starter motor and either fit a replacement (non OEM) or send it away for refurbishment.
The question for you kind members, is the removal of said motor difficult? Does it involve serious removal of parts to gain access?
I thought I'd ask before I ask him to bring it to me.
All suggestions will be most welcome.
Kindest regards, Danny.
The starter solenoid that engages the starter gear into the ring gear can not be replace unless the starter motor is removed , trapped screw heads facing bulkhead
An easy thing you can try is if the starter solenoid relay is giving out not allowing proper current to operate the solenoid / starter assembly
The relay can be swapped with one of the same part # like for the headlights, fog lights , ect
the large relays can be stuck in their holder / sockets by a waterproofing o - ring so they can be flipped upside down and sprayed with penetrating oil
They unclip from the car holder by pushing straight down
For the 3.2 engine with a different ZF transmission with no on the transmission body mounted rotary position switch you would have to use page 38
You can have a loose terminal nut for the small wire from the starter solenoid relay , this can be checked under the car with a X sise socket and an extension , do not over tighten as it can break off
Last edited by Parker 7; Aug 27, 2022 at 11:13 AM.
Very many thanks for your comments. It seems that the starter can be easily removed and that is great news. I believe that the problem is mechanical due to excessive noise. I will report back once I have an update. Kind regards Danny.
What I found with mine was a unhealthy sound as the starter rotated
This was from a bushing missing on the nose of the starter allowing the gears to walk away from each other and not fully engaging on the face of the gears
This is different then the gears translating into each other and a failure of the solenoid shoving over the starter gear , this is a loud drive you nuts stripping noise and will sometimes not allow the engine to rotate
The bushing can be replaced but you have to remove the starter
I did not notice wear on the gears
Last edited by Parker 7; Aug 27, 2022 at 05:58 PM.
Hello Parker 7, many thanks for your input, your symptoms are very similar if not the same as my friends problem, I will take a look at how easy or difficult the starter is removed and hopefully, get it out and then send it to my local man who rebuilds these units.
Once again, many thanks. Danny.
X300 3.2 Starter motor
