Starter Motor: Wooden Pole or Rubber Mallet

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Intestinalworm

Intestinalworm

Well-Known Member
Posts
712
Location
Australia
Okay, all set-up to remove starter motor from 2003 Disco 2 Td5 auto (strongly suspect solenoid is buggered after 14 years so have a solenoid repair kit). Problem is, I have to first get the vehicle into my driveway just 10 metres up the steep hill to start working on it properly - a tow won't work. I can't possibly work on the car where it is - too dangerous getting under the car and out on the road! I need to try and start the car and get it off the road.

So, when I was younger, I remember that I used to lift the bonnet of my Cortina and hit the dodgy starter motor with a wooden pole whilst my brother would be turning the engine - was able to start it for quite a while until the starter solenoid was finally replaced. That was a Cortina (a classic from 1963) and this is now a Land Rover! I have taken off the acoustic engine cover but still can't see the starter motor, let alone get a wooden pole down there to give it a tap! I also have a rubber mallet I can possibly use to tap from underneath - not much clearance though to see properly!

Any clear photos or tips on how to thread the eye of a needle (down through inlet manifold) with the wooden stick/pole to tap the starter/solenoid and/or tap the starter/solenoid with a rubber mallet from underneath? Someone said the starter probably has a protective plate/cover around it on the underside???
 
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The stater motor is easily visible from underneath , assuming it is RHD then it is drivers side.altho not sure if the std bottom spill / vanity cover needs removing , mine does not have one.

Removing the top nut catches afew people out. Has been written about this week.

Cheers
 
neilly said:
The stater motor is easily visible from underneath , assuming it is RHD then it is drivers side.altho not sure if the std bottom spill / vanity cover needs removing , mine does not have one.

Removing the top nut catches afew people out. Has been written about this week.

Cheers
Click to expand...


Thanks a lot for that. So definitely underneath with the mallet rather than the top with the stick then? Yeah, not much clearance under the car for a big (did someone call me fat?) bugger like me and so far I haven't been able to see it so I can just reach under with my arm and hit it with the mallet - might need to jack the driver's side up a bit? Hope it doesn't have the spill/vanity cover because then I'd need to get it up on stands to get the cover off and the thing is it's out parked on the road at the moment and on a hill! Bugger!
 
FYI

iirc,

15mm, for the nut on top.

Disconnect the battery.
Disconnect the starter cables, makes access it easier to remove and refit.
The bottom ones are 13mm. Do these first

Using a 15mm 1/4 socket with an extension or two, make it so that the ratchet EDIT: bar is longer than the starter if possible.
Undo the nut while pulling the starter away from the bell housing, this way the socket does not get trapped.
Refit as they say is a reverse .

Cheers
 
neilly said:
Oh..............Must have missed reading that in your original write up.................:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Cheers
Click to expand...

Nah, I don't think I mentioned it was as that is pretty much the norm over here (except for Defender). I've never seen a manual Disco 2 Td5 here in Australia (Melbourne) - maybe they were a special order only? Drove a fair bit in the UK and Europe and manual cars are the norm - here it's much less so. Wife wanted a Defender Troop Carrier at one stage - I told her it didn't come with an auto gearbox and she then went off that idea!
 
neilly said:
Should have got a Perentie and then just gone "Ooopps, well we better keep it now...:).".LOL. I am sure she would have got used to it eventually.



Cheers
Click to expand...

She liked it because it was "aggressive looking, yet cute"! :eek: Spoke to a few Defender drivers in the street - very popular here with young passive-aggressive hipster types - male and female! :eek::D
 
mojofilter said:
And substitute rubber mallet with large ball pein....
Click to expand...

Well, no good at all, so far! Totally impossible to get under the Disco 2 Td5 and tap the starter/solenoid. Car on the road and can only try and crawl under from the driver's side - not enough clearance and would need six-foot long arms to reach and try and hit it blind. Maybe I jack it up but it is on a fair slope on the roadside. Thinking it might be better attacking it from above (the engine bay) and tapping with a steel pole?
 
neilly said:
Are you sure it is the solenoid contacts that are causing the issue?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Yeah, brand new battery and electrics all good; starter relay fine but clear click from the starter/solenoid makes me think that is the culprit. RACV (like AAA) mobile mechanic said definitely starter solenoid and the L/R expert I usually take the car to for mechanical work (we spoke on the phone) said the solenoid is the likely culprit. It's the original starter/solenoid combo in the Disco (2003) so I guess 14 years is a good run without any solenoid problems to date.
 
OK,

Sounds like the culprit,

If there was no click at the starter, then another good cause is the spade ( lucar) connection on the starter. But with a click and no engagement then the solenoid is the next thing i would look at.

Cheers
 
Thanks for all the tips and advice - much appreciated. I guess I'll only really be sure it's the solenoid (although I could really be unlucky and have two issues at the same time!:(

Main issue is getting it off the roadway/hill and into my nearby driveway so I can get it up on axle stands and get to work on extracting the starter/solenoid and overhauling the solenoid if that indeed proves to be the problem, otherwise I'll be in a position to properly diagnose/fix any problem with the car in a safe, flat, dry and well-lit location. So I need to get it started JUST THIS ONCE!:)

So, tried getting at the starter to give it a tap from underneath on the RHS driver's side on the roadway - starter not in sight (can't see beyond bulkhead/front RH wheel arch) and just impossible to reach with the hammer even if I could sight it:(; so, took acoustic cover off to see abit more from the top and let some light in, but still not able to clearly sight starter from above even though I know where it should be - half-way down and bolted onto the transmission. Going to get a thin metal rod and try and tap the solenoid/starter with that (if I can sight it and somehow get a clear path to it with all the bits and pieces in the way!):confused: Might wear an old pair of platform shoes so I can see into the engine bay a bit better!:eek:

Clearly some starters are easier to see/get to than others - should be simple, but a bit confounded by this.:mad: Just a little bit wary of potentially accidentally hitting solenoid/starter terminals with the metal rod and causing a short mainly because the thing is so obscured from view.

Love the Td5, but I have to admit those 4 cylinder engines in the old cars were so much easier to access!

I'll get there, but this bit is an unexpected pain so far!:(

Hoping to post a :):D:p soon enough!

Any further thoughts/suggestions from anyone?
 
Well drove for a bit longer by tapping the starter/solenoid from above with a wooden pole (turning the key a few times quickly also worked at the start) and recently bought the solenoid repair kit from a company in the UK called X8R. Well, couldn't crawl underneath (too fat!), so jacked up and used two jack stands on the front axle. Lifted the bonnet to get some light in, disconnected battery, got a 3/8th short (20cm) breaker bar (also used hollow jack handle to use as a cheater bar over the short breaker bar just to get a little extra length and leverage particularly given the cramped conditions and limited room for leverage), 13mm and 15mm 3/8th 6-sided sockets, 3/8th ratchet and 3/8th 150mm (6in) wobble bar extension. Got underneath and removed both electrical connections from starter motor and then sprayed both 13mm bolts on the side with penetrant; then got up and sprayed the top 15mm nut with penetrant from above the engine just to be sure - needed good aim! ;)

Left it for a while to penetrate and then got underneath and used the breaker bar with cheater bar just to get a little extra several cm's on a short (20cm long) breaker bar, wobble extension and 15mm socket to crack the 15mm nut - little bit fiddly working by feel on the "hidden" nut and with limited room underneath lying on my back and with steering rods and what have you in the way! Anyway, cracked it (original starter motor on 2003 Disco 2 Td5) after just 5 mins and then removed the nut using same extension with a ratchet and finally using fingers. Moved to both 13 mm bolts: cracked upper one with breaker bar and cheater bar (no extension needed this time); cracked lower 13mm bolt with breaker bar and cheater bar and wobble extension - the two transmission steel oil cooler lines get in the way! Removed bolts with ratchet and finally fingers.

Not too hard, all good, but!!!:confused:

Two 13mm bolts and 15mm nut removed but can't quite wriggle the bloody starter/solenoid out - will not fully budge! Do I have to remove the little oil cooler pipe bracket that holds the two transmission oil cooler pipes to the plate on the starter motor - is that stopping me from removing it? Haven't seen any articles that have mentioned the transmission oil cooler pipes?:confused:

Staying inside for now and will attempt final removal tomorrow - it's 42 degCel (108 Fahrenheit) outside at the moment!:eek:

Any thoughts for now?
 
Went back out in the heat - loosened, 10mm nut I think it was, with socket and 1/4" ratchet: transmission oil cooling pipes bracket and backing plate could then be shifted over and starter/solenoid just pulled right out. Now I'm going to rebuild the solenoid and hopefully all good; after that it's the diesel pressure regulator - got a kit for that as well from X8R! The pressure regulator I've read is a fiddly job, but at least it can all be done from above.
 
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