Starter motor repair

I’ve just saved over £120 by fixing the solenoid on the starter motor on my daughter’s fiancés Freelander.

The car is a 1999 XEDi fitted with a Denso starter, the car would not start on the starter, there was just a clicking from the solenoid. A new starter was at best £140, a lot dearer from some other sources.

I stripped the solenoid and found the contacts and plunger were dirty and worn, I tried cleaning them up to no avail. I did a bit of hunting and found that the plunger and contacts were NOT available in the UK but were readily available on Ebay from the USA.

Unfortunately the Hippo is not listed by the yanks but with a bit of measuring I was able to identify the parts needed. The cost for the parts including postage came to less than £19. The worst but was waiting for the parts to arrive, UK customs were very slow to pass the parts on but the wait was worth it.

I would imagine this will work for any Nippondenso or Denso starter fitted to Land Rovers.

If anyone needs to know the sellers details and part Numbers give me a PM.

good advice my friend... i like your style too many people replace starters on a whim. just strip them and clean them. nearly always a dirty spring/plunger.

well done that man!

G

dont keep the info to yoself - post it on here for future peeps.

The links are here; http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f20/starting-motor-42959.html#post347242

Just done mine cleaned it all and had new contacts.
The local autospark didnt have the exact ones but he replaced with a set very similar, the only other thing i had to do was some filing on the plunger to get the face even from where it had seated in the old contacts, this seems to have worked a charm.The only problem now is me battery is on its way out so will have to replace that soon, which i think has been due to all the multi start attempts prior to the contacts being replaced, i think at least 1 of the plates is fooked, bit of a pain as its only a year old, and i cant find the bloody receipt, not to worry i am used to spending me hard earned on my FREELANDER..
Also i have ordered a set of correct ones via me dad from the uk and as soon as i get them i will keep you informed.
i think they are about 8.00 quid and also the sparky said that normally you dont have to change the plunger its just personal choice/ or there is excessive wear, he said its a common problem on that starter.
BUT.. the good news is he said that its not often you see the actual motors or brushes go...
Hope this helps ya all.
Cheers
D

Maybe we could enlist some of our Merkin Cousins to get those bits for us, and post them over as "gift" of no value?

CharlesY

lookskyward1 said:

I’ve just saved over £120 by fixing the solenoid on the starter motor on my daughter’s fiancés Freelander.

The car is a 1999 XEDi fitted with a Denso starter, the car would not start on the starter, there was just a clicking from the solenoid. A new starter was at best £140, a lot dearer from some other sources.

I stripped the solenoid and found the contacts and plunger were dirty and worn, I tried cleaning them up to no avail. I did a bit of hunting and found that the plunger and contacts were NOT available in the UK but were readily available on Ebay from the USA.

Unfortunately the Hippo is not listed by the yanks but with a bit of measuring I was able to identify the parts needed. The cost for the parts including postage came to less than £19. The worst but was waiting for the parts to arrive, UK customs were very slow to pass the parts on but the wait was worth it.

I would imagine this will work for any Nippondenso or Denso starter fitted to Land Rovers.

If anyone needs to know the sellers details and part Numbers give me a PM.

Click to expand...

THESE PARTS CAN BE PURCHASED FROM START AND CHARGE IN GRIMETHORPE BARNSLEY. BOUGHT A SET TODAY FOR £20 -HOPE THIS HELPS !

where is the starter motor located on the discovery

Bolted to the flywheel housing, at the back of the engine. Which engine does the disco have?

2,5

discovery es 1994

Well, im not a disco nut, someone may correct me, but i think the motor is on the nearside, at the back of the engine by the bulkhead, bolted to the bellhousing.

lookskyward1 said:

I’ve just saved over £120 by fixing the solenoid on the starter motor on my daughter’s fiancés Freelander.

The car is a 1999 XEDi fitted with a Denso starter, the car would not start on the starter, there was just a clicking from the solenoid. A new starter was at best £140, a lot dearer from some other sources.

I stripped the solenoid and found the contacts and plunger were dirty and worn, I tried cleaning them up to no avail. I did a bit of hunting and found that the plunger and contacts were NOT available in the UK but were readily available on Ebay from the USA.

Unfortunately the Hippo is not listed by the yanks but with a bit of measuring I was able to identify the parts needed. The cost for the parts including postage came to less than £19. The worst but was waiting for the parts to arrive, UK customs were very slow to pass the parts on but the wait was worth it.

I would imagine this will work for any Nippondenso or Denso starter fitted to Land Rovers.

If anyone needs to know the sellers details and part Numbers give me a PM.

Click to expand...

Hi
I used to own a Disco, but sold it - too expensive to run!
I now have a Rover 75 with a Denso starter motor similar to the unit used on the 2.0 litre diesel engine in the Landys built by BMW, so when I had trouble with it I used the Forum to try to ascertain what was wrong and how to fix it.
I found you guys (and gals) had the same trouble as me, but could not offer a solution - i.e. where to obtain parts. I found a local guy in Coleford, Gloucester (Ben Bennun Mushet Ind. Park Coleford 01594 810419). He offered to sell me the bits to re-build my contacts on the solenoid, but warned me that they need to be fitted carefully. Carelessly fitted, the motor will operate satisfactorily initially, but give trouble after a couple of months. Therefore, I left the motor with him and he did it the same day. It now works wonderfully, and it cost me £32! Good deal, I say.
I did not enquire how much the bits cost to fit myself, but they are obviously cheaper than the job I paid for.
He also informed me that the motor is on the service schedule and should be checked every 20,000 miles, and probably the contacts need replacing at about 30,000 miles. He expressed surprise that the parts are not obtainable from a Landy dealer.
He is a very knowledgeable guy, very helpful, and will probably hate me for giving you his name, as he has more than enough work!
However, there it is, and if you want to contact him I am sure you will get a good deal from him.
Also, I expect that if you go to your local auto-electrician he will be able to help. Landy dealers just want to replace units (as all garages), they are not interested in supplying parts 'cos that is where their profit is.
Hope this helps.
Trevor

just had my v8 starter motor rebuilt,i gave it to him dismantled.i got him to skim the armature and replace anything else needed.i got it back so much more powerful than before for £30!
he's called crawford electrical services and he is in frimley green,surrey.his number is 01252 838258.he does alternator and dynamo rebuilds as well.

Batteries often have a date code on them. Usually some sort of punch out code on the label. If you've got that and you know where you got it from, they should honour the warranty without the receipt.