Hey all, I've got a 1974 Series 3, 2.25 Diesel.

Was all going well (ish since I broke the exhaust) until it came to starting it to move it to a better location to fit the exhaust when it wouldn't start, it hadn't been moved in 24 hours, but I've gone and replaced the 6 year old battery anyway as it would need replacing soon.

The starter motor heats up alot, the wires to the battery are warm and it turns, very slowly and in coughs and splutters. I'm assuming it turns quicker once one cyclinder reaches the compression point and then begins to pull it back down and another up. Either way its no way fast enough and nowhere near what it was the previous day.

I've cleaned up the connections and as I've said, replaced the battery (and charged it up) lights are all ok

Any ideas?

sounds quite terminal to me. Good chance of saving it by cleaning the starter well

Know what you're doing: replace brushes or clean with petrol and let air; check bearings, replace if necessary or put some fresh molybdenum disulphite in; check windings, if shot -> new starter; CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN without oily substances, then grease/oil where necessary!

or just pinch the starter from the neighbour to try if it's the starter or not.
Before going berserk with the starter (cleaning is no easy task if you want to do it properly, and I've seen killed starters by putting some WD40 in the wrong places...) check that it's the starter and not something else.

What diagnosis did you do besides battery and connections? Sure that the battery is fine? How about jump leads from another car (engine running) to the starter motor?

New batteries die, leccy connections are devils work

Electricals are all fine, multimetered them and its strong. The Battery, well the new one hooked up with jump leads to a running modern car didnt improve it atall.

Nitro159 said:

Electricals are all fine, multimetered them and its strong. The Battery, well the new one hooked up with jump leads to a running modern car didnt improve it atall.

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nah, jump leads straight to starter motor, with donator running
If that doesnt help:

If the starter does turn (that's how I understood it anyway):
Take starter off and take everything apart that you can without braking it, and can put it together again properly (e.g. remember how the carbon brushes sit on the shaft)
Then clean every non-greased (!) part with petrol, acetone or just a dry kitchen paper towel (safest, works a treat)
Take off the old surplus grease off the greased parts with dry paper towel (see, multi-functional!), but only what's on the surface or spilled or anything, DO NOT go "into" the parts (e.g. bearings). There's just no need for it. But make sure all dirt is gone, from everywhere but "closed" moving parts (bearing is considered closed, nevermind that some are called "open", they're closed too!)

Now grease with molybdenum disulphite all: "(en-)closed" moving parts, bearings, dogs, edge guides, splines etc but only to have a thin film of the grease on it, not that the rotation distributes it evenly everywhere inside. The bearings may (and should) be packed with grease though!

Put together, do a test run outside vehicle (fast rotation for very short period, about 1 sec, will make sure it's all smooth and sits fine. Short: helps), and then try it in the car.


If you happen to have problems cleaning some part, use petrol and let air.


Cheers,
Phil

PS!!: For the grease to distribute correctly, you have to grease, turn by hand, grease again. This is most important for greased bearings and gearings! Make sure that every area of greased bearings ARE greased, otherwise on your homogenization run (the one outside the vehicle, high speed run) the starter might go boom by itself by stopping very fast...

souds like a bad earth from engine to body, check the lead witch goes from chassis to engine, if not its got to be the starer motor, can you get you hands on another one just to eliminate it