Soon as I spend £300 on the brakes the starter motor packs up (keeps sticking) this is a mad idea but has anybody got one laying around for a 3.0 V6 24V auto????

Mark

Hello Mark,

A few rambling thoughts about V6 starter motors.

I have a spare from my V6 12 valve automatic; could take a while to dig it out but if you need it let me know (combwork@aol.com) One thing. I had a lot of trouble with the starter motor failing when the engine was hot. The car's been off the road for almost a year now; hopefully it will be back soon but the problem was `cured' with a factory rebuilt motor. It still didn't always work first time when the engine was hot, but it made a pronounced `click' and after a few goes, the solonoid switch closed and the motor worked. I believe the problem is that the stud that operates the solonoid switch on these starter motors takes a very firm push to close the contacts that connect the motor to the battery. The wire that connects the solonoid to the battery via the start switch is maybe a little too thin; it's routed close to the engine and when it gets hot, it's resistance increases to the point where not enough current gets through to slam the solonoid switch hard enough to close it. This problem is compounded if the spring that returns the solonoid to rest is too weak; heat can make the return mechanism stiff and if the solonoid is not fully returned, at won't energise at all. It can make for a long frustrating wait while everything cools down; in Summer this takes hours........ Suggested cure? Make sure you have a good battery; you can't use the energy with which the starter motor turns as a true indication of battery power; these starter motors have a small reduction gear built in which means that they work (provided the solonoid closes ok) with quite a weak charge in the battery. The battery charge can be strong enough to operate the motor once the solonoid closes, but too weak to overcome hot wire resistance to close the solonoid in the first place.

Good Luck............................ Jim.

Hi Mark.

Do you mean it sticks on and won't disengage when you let the key go, or you're just getting a click when you try and start the car ? I'm not familiar with the V6, but if you can get to the starter there are a couple of simple things to try. Before you start, make sure all your battery and earth connections are good. If you can safely do so, attach a jump lead to the solenoid terminal which carries the fat lead to the motor, then place the other end on the battery +. You should hear the motor spin round at a good rate. If not, then the motor is the issue. If the motor sounds good and all the connections are good, then you are looking at a solenoid problem, the replacement of which should be considerably less cost than that of the whole assembly.

Mike.

Hi Guys thanks for the replys. In the end a friend at HQ managed to get me a serious discount on a new one - so I went for that. The new starter motor was quite different to the previous - larger for a start!. The swap over job was oddly easy, took about 20 mins... result SUPERB.