Starter Motor Replacement 1.9 CDTi 150 Help, very noisy.

[Chocki]

Hi all,
My Starter motor packed up the other morning without any warning and took the battery with it.

I turned the key, there was a loud clunk then all the lights dimmed and stayed dimmed when I turned the key back, luckily I keep a 10mm spanner in my glove compartment. I've never got a battery disconnected so fast in all my life!, smelt awful from the starter motor area.
luckily no fire, damn thing sounds like it broke up inside from the rear end, rattles when shook, it's a mitsubishi unit and got very hot indeed,

Anyway, I got it out and got a replacement Lucas unit from ECP and new battery and refitted.

There is no adjustment, the motor bolts back where the old one was, identical looking units so there should be no problems, but the new one, the noise from the gears meshing is horrendous, sounds like a coffee grinder!.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks.

And for anyone else with the 1.9 DTH engine with 6 Speed manual gearbox this is how to change the starter.

Disconnect battery earth.
Move coolant expansion bottle out of its holder and tie with some string to the bonnet support (Facelift model).
Lying over the top of the engine with legs at the front of the car, you can change the starter.
Use a 1/4 ratchet with 10mm socket to loosen the solenoid cable nut and remove the nut, washer and brown cable.
Using a 13mm ratchet spanner for everything else:
Undo the nut holding the thick red power cable to the solenoid, remove nut and spring washer and cable.
Reach round to the right and underneath the starter as viewed from above, you will feel the earth cable, remove the nut securing this cable then the spring washer and cable.
Now fit the spanner back over the protruding stud onto the next nut and remove this. It is actually a bolt with a post on it onto which the earth cable attaches.
You should see the remaining two bolts on top of the starter, the one is a bit fiddly to reach any you may have to unclip the wiring loom to access it.

You should now be able to extract the starter through the gap where the coolant expansion tank was.

Refitting is the reverse but can be fiddly due to the coolant pipework bracket which sits between the starter motor and the top two bolts.

[lee gsi]

Maybe there is also damage to the flywheel ring gear too

[Chocki]

Ring gear looked fine what I could see of it, could it be tolerances too tight and is it likely to cause any damage?.

[Vectra Meldrew]

I replaced mine a few months ago. From what I could work out, there are only 2 different starters for a 1.9cdti - Manual or Auto gearbox. Mine is an auto so I phoned various motor factors till I got a decent price and double checked the part number with them. It was exchange so I took the old starter with me to save me going back later. When I checked the new starter in the shop it had one tooth less on the cog. I made the guy check the number again and he said yes, it's def the right one. I was still worried it wouldn't mesh with the flywheel properly but he said it should be fine. I fitted it and yes, it was fine
All I can suggest is check your part numbers again and make sure its not for an auto. I'm not even sure what the difference is but possibly one has to throw further than the other to mesh with the flywheel.

[Chocki]

Both units were identical, I went to ECP today and got them to take a listen, they have now supplied me with a replacement unit which weather permitting I will be swapping tomorrow.

I've been looking things up on the Lucas web site, and these starters part No LRS02173 are not new but reconditioned units so maybe there was something they missed!, will find out tomorrow.

When I turned the engine over every one looked!, quite a head turner this car, had the same effect in the local Asda car park this evening as well!

[Chocki]

Well I swapped the starter motors and the problem is gone, so it was deffo a faulty unit.