Starting issue

[Capncol]

Thanks for feeding back. How much knuckle skin did it cost??
BTW- Anyone else reading this, if you think it's a lot of removal work to go in from the top, it's even harder to try and do from underneath

[GrandadMonkey]

Well done, pleased to hear how you got on. Thanks for the write-up on it too.

[Powellct]

No knuckle skin, but a perpetual rub on the inside of the wrist from the bloody cable cover support. I wouldn't even countenance going from underneath (on the 1.6 anyway). The worst bit was refitting the cables once the starter was on. All the mounting bolts can be got to with with a 3/8 ratchet with varying lengths of wobble extension, and a 13mm combination spanner for the initial crack. £52 exchange from Euros for a refurbished Lucas (albeit with Valeo castings....)

[Mike Rolite]

All these problems with the starter seem to point to the starter solenoid, especially if you hear a clicking sound. I had this problem with my wife's 2006 206cc which would not start when hot (still haven't figured out why it should be mainly when hot). I got a starter from the local scrap yard for £15 as they would not sell the solenoid on its own. Yes it's a pig of a job but it cured the problem; for a few months, now it has come back.
Still convinced it was the solenoid and as I still had the old unit I decided to have a look at the one I had taken off with the idea of repairing it. There was no chance of a repair as it has to be destroyed to get it apart unlike the one on my 1969 MGB which is easy to refurbish and which I have repaired a few years ago.
When I got it apart I could not believe how badly made it was, The copper bar which should contact the two copper studs was too short and only covered half of each one so it had burned away half of each contact and itself at each end, the manufacturer had saved a few pence by making it shorter but shortened the working life by 75%.
Anyway to cut a long story short I have managed to find a New solenoid for under £15 (pt No RTC4978) from a Land Rover dealers called Paddock Spares and it is identical except it has two studs with nuts on where the original had bolts, but is a perfect fit.
So don't change the starter, change the solenoid. And a second hand starter will probably have the same solenoid problem before long.

[GrandadMonkey]

You say that the one you took off had to be destroyed to get at it Mike. Therefore what is the point of trying to repair it?

[Mike Rolite]

I was just interested to see what was wrong with it. I repaired the one on my MGB as it was possible to dismantle it unlike modern crap. I enjoy trying to fix things which manufacturers say "There are no repairable parts inside"

[GrandadMonkey]

But as the 206cc starter motor solenoid IS NOT dismantle-able my recommendation would always be to replace the 206cc starter motor for a new or exchange one. Destroy the old one and you'd get nothing back for it on exchange.

In general though Mike I agree that with a bit of effort many components are capable of being repaired rather than just replaced.