WTB or recondition: Starter Motor: 2LTR Alfetta GTV

[michaeljc]

Gee ... like my Alfetta .... spend more time under the bonnet than behind the steering wheel. ... But that was always the plan.
Now I get no action from the starter motor. Worked fine every time until ...... NOTHING. Ignition is fine. Power supply is fine.
12 volts onto the solonoid contact gives NOTHING.
12 volts onto the contact with the wire into the motor gives nothing.

It is a Bosch Starter and I've taken the solenoid apart and off the unit and I still get no action from either the solenoid OR the motor when I power either of them up.
I know little about the starter motor really but am surprised that both solenoid AND motor have failed at the same time ...... unless my ignorance is showing. ..... and I'd be happy to be enlightened by any reply to this thread.

So ... the plan is for someone on the Forum to PLEASE advise me of a recommended Auto Elec around the Blackburn / Waverley / Camberwell / Doncaster / Ringwood area that would look after me with a good reco at an OK price.

The other option is for someone who wants to get rid of a suitable starter motor to sell me one.

Does a 105 or a 75TS starter motor interchange? I note that there is also a bracket on my starter motor at the back of it which bolts onto a plate near the engine mount for extra support ... so this might be different for the 105s and 75s.

Please either PM me or just post a reply.

[Barry Edmunds]

Michaeljc

Give me a call as I have a couple of starter motors that you could try before you go to the expense of rebuilding your. Starter motor can usually be overhauled.
0405 383 431

Barry

[michaeljc]

Update: More brains required!!!!!

I picked up a good starter motor from Barry today. It is a 2 bolt (to flywheel bellhousing) style rather than the 3 bolt sort I removed. However the 2 bolts line up. It was also not possible to attach the cover/bracket in order to secure it to the RH engine mount as the original one was. But solenoid worked, motor worked and it had the 9 teeth pinion gear that I needed (rather than the 8 teeth option that Barry had on another 3 mounting bolt unit). Also the unit I got from Barry had a motor approx 90mm diameter as opposed to the 100mm diameter motor I removed.

However, even with the small mounting differences, the dimensions and offsets of all the mating flanges & gear positions with flywheel were all identical.

So I put it in, turned the key, and the starter motor spun beautifully - BUT the engine did not turn. Tried a few times - same result. Banged solenoid - same result.

What is going on? I removed new 2 bolt starter motor and tested it again off the battery. Works a charm.

Only thing I notice in comparison to my original that failed the other day is that the tapered leading edges on the pinion gear teeth on my original starter motor are all in pretty good shape. However the teeth on Barry's unit seem to have lost a fair bit of their taper. I think also I could see them to have slightly shiny squarer edges .... (But of course I could have been imagining it). I could not see any wear on the flywheel teeth though.

So BEFORE I set about stripping both starter motors and swapping the pinion drive gears (which fingers crossed, are interchangeable) ... DOES ANYONE WANT TO SHARE any other insight into what might be going on???

I am thinking that the third mounting bolt, which is a stepped shoulder bolt seemingly designed to tightly hold the starter motor in an EXACT & PRECISE position, together with the other bolt onto the engine mount must have been there for a reason. All other cars I've worked on have only had 2 bolts holding any starter motor in. WOULD I be better hunting down a good 3 bolt starter motor with the 9 teeth pinion gear rather than just swap my pinion gear onto a 2 bolt starter moter that is obviously a little different to the 1984 Alfa design??

[Captain Slow]

Hey,

I have no experience with Alfetta's, but I have lots with starter motors in general.
If you've tested the replacement starter out of the car, and it's spinning up and throwing out, then the only other issue is that it's not meshing with the flywheel.
You said that with the new starter installed you turned the key and the starter spun up but the engine didn't crank. So assuming the starter is throwing out, it sounds to me like it's just not the correct starter for your application.
Perhaps that new starter is meant to go with a larger diameter flywheel, but as I said i'm not familiar with Alfetta's and i'm just speculating.

One thing to check, you said the tooth count was the same as your old starter, but check the throw out gear is the same diameter as the old one. If they are then I can't see why it wouldn't work.

I hope this helps, i'm sure someone with a bit more direct knowledge will be able to sort you out soon.

Ben

[michaeljc]

thanks capn'.

dimensionally, i cannot see why it does not mesh. gears are same size, throwout shaft is same length, the new starter throws out and spins strongly.

i might just tryout some wreckers as i was quoted $175 plus to reco my own one - if the armature is ok.

still keen on any more feedback though

[GTVeloce]

Hi Michaeljc

I have a starter motor from a 83 2L Alfetta engine that worked well when it came out of a car about 9 months ago that you could have for a lot less than the wreckers price! I'm not sure how many mounting bolts it has (it's still attached to the engine) but I can have a look and let you know.

Cheers
Julian

[michaeljc]

PM sent Julian

[aggie57]

Hi,

Personally my experience with starters is that they are one of those things in a car that are best handed to the specialists to sort. 

In years gone by I have been through the same pain as you're going through and in while the outside diameters and so on can all look the same even across Alfetta's there are different models, different drives, and so on.  When you put a second hand one in (no offence Barry, you know that) there is no guarantee of its remaining life or servicability so you still have that "will it start" question; with no crank handle as a backup! 

So that $175 is probably money well spent compared to the alternative pain and time.