Starter Maintenance -

All of us drive around in deep mud and very muddy water and the result is that after a few days the starter starts playing up. The reason is simple, it filled up with crap.

With this report I just want to show that basically everybody can maintain a starter and has not to go to a dealer to get a new one. In my opinion it has gone out of fashion anyway to repair/maintain things, so lets go back to basics and safe lots of money.

   

WARNING !
To avoid accidental start-up of vehicle and possible personal injury, disconnect the battery cables before you start working on the starter.
Always disconnect the negative cable first.If the positive cable should contact ground with the negative cable installed, the resulting sparks may cause a battery explosion resulting in personal injury.

  
I don't describe how to get the starter off the engine. If you can't figure that one out by yourself, don't bother to do the rest.
In good old fashion I always mark the individual parts with a felt tip pen before I take them apart.
First put the starter in a vise, undo the 2 hex head bolts at the cover end.
After removing the motor from the gears, take care that you don't lose the single ball in the centre hole.
Removing the rubber seal. Mark it with the felt tip pen, so you but it back in the same orientation.
Remove the planetary gears
To undo the screws from the solenoid I use the right size screwdriver and pliers.
Solenoid is off . . . .
. . . . to the internals out you have to tap the "Bendix housing" in an angle down on a piece of wood or simply on a table (if you work in the kitchen)
Bendix out . . . . at this point I would like to mention that the Bendix can be bought separately from the dealer. The Parts No. is NLGD8-3503662 Starter bendix and costs about £35. To see how to disassemble this part click here
. . . . . then get the brush box out. The screws on my starter were damaged so I cracked them open with pliers.
My brushes were well worn so I replaced them . . . .
. . . . with a new one. Bought it at the local Car Electric Shop for £ 24.95
Next pay attention to the commutator. As you can see the gaps between the copper bars are full off crap
. . . . . . . clean the gaps very carefully. I use a scriber
The I put my battery drill in the vise. Don't bugger up the drill by clamping it too hard. Clamp the rotor in the chuck.
. . . . then clean the commutator with a file and fine emery cloth. I'm sure you figured out that it works better when you switch the drill on.
Here is the final result. . . . . . . and now you can start putting the whole thing together again. I hope by now you also cleaned all the other bits. I did it in the dish washer. Off course you have to wait for your wife leaving the house first.
Put the planetary gears and all other bits back together and grease them well
Don't forget to put the single ball back before you stick the rotor in the gears
Putting the brushes back on is a bit tricky. Start with two, pull the box toward you and then push the third and fourth in in sequence.

You soon get the hang of it and they are all back on.

. . . . . . the rest is a doddle and in no time it's all back together again.

 
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