RV8 Gear Reduction Starters

[Transmitter Man]

Came across these and would like to know if anyone's come across any better prices:

Bosch Planetary gear reduction starter ( as fitted to 90's Rover engined TVR's) £109 + vat

Edge (Denso based) gear reduction starter 1.4kw £185 + vat

Edge (Denso based) gear reduction starter 2.0kw £215 + vat

Thanks.

Phil

[900T-R]

To throw another in the pot - Powerlite RAC 318 lightweight/high torquwe starter, should be less then £200 retail...

http://www.powerlite-units.com/pdf/starters/RAC318...

Very happy with their service and speed of delivery, and ultimately with their product, too (mine was a bit tight at first when the pinion wouldn't retract quite quickly enough, it's fine now).

Cranks noticeably faster than the original, far less current drain with no problems starting after the car's been sat for two weeks on a 28Ah Odyssey battery - and the cold start mixture on mine's on the rich side so it normally takes a good few turns before it fires up...

Between the starter and the battery, my Chim's lost over 7 kgs which I find fairly significant in a car this light...

[Chimpafrolic]

I paid £150.00 including postage for a Powerlite RAC 318 direct from the supplier.

At the end of the day it's just a modified Denso gear reduction starter like I used to fit to forklift trucks.

Turned out I didn't need it in the end as my issue was an immobiliser fault.

So I put the Powerlite RAC 318 on EBay and promptly sold it for £200.00

TBH the Powerlite RAC 318 worked well but never really sounded right to me.

I now have first hand experience of three starters.

1) The original starter

2) The Powerlite RAC 318 starter

3) The Prestolite gear reduction starter sold for the Range Rover Classic

The clear winner for me is the Prestolite starter, it sounds super smooth and has massive cranking power.

This excellent Prestolite starter is available from Brookwell Land Rover Parts at £83.94 including VAT and postage.

http://www.brookwell.co.uk/item/243/replacement-st...

I really wouldn't bother paying £150 - £200 for a Powerlite RAC 318.

Save your money and buy the better starter, buy the Prestolite one.

Edited by Chimpafrolic on Thursday 14th July 13:55

[900T-R]

Um yes, but that still looks like a heavy old piece of starter to me...

Losing over 4 kg from the weight of the car is worth at least £70 to me, plus just about halving the current drain made going to a smaller, lighter AGM battery that freed up valuable footwell space a viable option (my car lives in the underground parking of my apartment block so no practical way to connect a trickle charger). Also I never had the hot start problem, but reducing starting current by nearly half makes things a lot less marginal wrt. the wiring without introducing extra relays (I'm a great advocate of KISS).

You're right about the sound of the Powerlite - it sounds different and not as, well, 'solid' as the OE Bosch/Lucas ones... but I can't fault its working and with the above advantages in the context of the whole car, it was a no-brainer.

Edited by 900T-R on Thursday 14th July 13:26

[Chimpafrolic]

The truth is both the Powerlite RAC 318 & Prestolite are more than up to the job, and both are a big improvement on the original.

Having had both starters in my hand I can assure you the Powerlite RAC 318 starter is hardly any lighter than the short body Prestolite one I have linked to above, it's a lovely little thing.

The Powerlite RAC 318 is only proven to draw less current than the original, admittedly I didn't test the Powerlite & Prestolite back to back in that respect, but I really cant see there being much difference between the two.

Now I have hands on experience of all three starters, for me the Prestolite wins hands down.

Even without the massive saving the Prestolite offers it would still get my vote.

Its easier to fit & sounds significantly nicer than the Powerlite RAC 318 which simply never sounded like it was engaging as smoothly with the ring gear.

I guess it's a case of "you pays your money you makes your choice", each to their own as they say.

But if anyone asks me what's the best starter for a Chimaera I will always advise them to buy the Prestolite.

But before I do I will enquire if they have checked their immobiliser is not the fault.

Immobiliser faults on Chims & Griffs are so common I would even go far as to say those relays in the immobiliser are partly responsible for the terrible reliability reputation our cars suffer from.

If only TVR hadn't wired the Meta back to front

Ten genuine & proven long term Chim & Griff owning PistonHeaders emailing within two weeks me asking how I bypassed my immobiliser proves my point.

Edited by Chimpafrolic on Thursday 14th July 13:53

[900T-R]

Luckily, an alternative Thatcham Cat 1 immobiliser has been installed in my car at some point, or so the paperwork says.

This is the only thing I could find for the Prestolite RV8 starter - no weight specified.

http://www.prestolite.com/pgs_kbase/attachments/S9...

[Chimpafrolic]

900T-R said:

Luckily, an alternative Thatcham Cat 1 immobiliser has been installed in my car at some point, or so the paperwork says.

This is the only thing I could find for the Prestolite RV8 starter - no weight specified.

http://www.prestolite.com/pgs_kbase/attachments/S9...

Nice one 900T-R,

A decent properly installed Thatcham Cat 1 immobiliser has to be the best reliability improvement on a Chim/Griff.

It beggars belief how may TVR owners must have been left stranded and confused by the Meta system, thinking perhaps they had a faulty starter motor or ignition switch.

ModWise must have sold hundreds of hot start kits, but as we know this is really just a temporary fix.

Karl Baker is a fantastic guy who has made a living out of the fault, my car will be going to him soon to get the job done properly.

Everyone I have helped with the bypass has been advised to do the same with a link to his web site, lets hope it ultimately creates some more customers for his excellent service.

It does seem these little niggles are all part of the fun of owning a TVR, but I kind of new that before I bought my Chim so it comes as no surprise.

Call me mad but personally I wouldn't have it any other way.

[Transmitter Man]

Many thanks for all the feedback guys.

Dave,

That Prestolite sounds just the jobbie and the shaving of a few kilo's is just an added bonus.

I will order one next week.

Tnx

Phil
420 SEAC

[Chimpafrolic]

Transmitter Man said:

Many thanks for all the feedback guys.

Dave,

That Prestolite sounds just the jobbie and the shaving of a few kilo's is just an added bonus.

I will order one next week.

Tnx

Phil
420 SEAC

Phil, just a small caveat before you commit.

The only thing I can say for sure is the Prestolite definitely fits a Chimaera.

On a Wedge you have a very different exhaust manifold arrangement, and potentially different clearance issues.

I think the Wedge cars used a Rover SD1 sourced starter, where the Griffs & Chims used one from a Range Rover Classic.

The difference between the Rover SD1 starter ant the Range Rover Classic one is the position of the solenoid.

That's not to say the Prestolite starter wont fit a Wedge, it's a compact version of a Range Rover Classic after all.

But just be careful here, not all Rover V8 starters are not made equal.

There are in fact quite a few different types, some will fit a Wedge and some wont, you have been warned.

[pblake]

I have a hot start problem with the Chim, tried bridging out the ignition switch, had the immobiliser replace but still happens every now and then. Was just going to order a new starter from Racing green.
After reading thread phoned brookwell and new starter should be here today and 1/3 the price of a TVR one thanks chaps.

[Transmitter Man]

OK Dave,

Thanks for that.

Will double check before purchase.

Phil

[compsafari32]

Powerlitte Starter Motors Eurolec Components (Midlands) Limited
PowerLite is a registered trademark of: Eurolec Components (Midlands) Limited Moor Street Brierley Hill
West Midlands DY5 3SU. A Company best avoided they say they have a 12 month no quibble guarantee.

I was unlucky enough to have bought a powerlite starter for a rover v8 {rac318} in july last year 2010 from AES at tenbury wells. Auto Electric Supplies Limited, Granville House, 11 Cross Street, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, WR15 8EF, UK cost for starter £199.00.
this was fitted to a rear engine comp safari off road racer not road registered , so not in everyday use.the car has been used approx 10 times since the starter was fitted. and although off road it has not been subjected to deep mud or wading down rivers.
July 2011 weekend event in wales starter motor failed staying engaged with engine after starting {solenoid sticking i think}the starter was removed from the engine and inspected there were two holes on top of the soliniod which were open {no grommets} these looked to be lubrication points, so to try and free off what ever was sticking wd40 was sprayed into the holes .and a small amount of engine oil added to the pinion. The starter was then refitted still the same.
When i returned home i found the receipt and the starter was still in guarantee by about 5 days.the starter was sent back to POWERLITE STARTERS EUROLEC COMPONENTS I received a email back to say because i had lubricated it the guarantee was void and that the oil had caused the problem i tryed to explain that the problem had happened before any lubrication of the starter.but they are just not interested.I
Sent them a email to get my questions answered what are the 2 holes on the solenoid for?should they have grommets in them?what needs to be done to repair the starter?the only answer i got back was that the oil had caused a lot of damage to repair the starter would cost more than buying a new one.No answer about the holes on top of the solenoid.BUT TO SHOW GOODWILL THEY WILL SELL ME A NEW STARTER AT A 50% DISCOUNT !! After thinking about this i think water has entered the solenoid through the 2 unsealed holes and because the car is not used much has rusted the solenoid plunger ,so in my mind a strip down & clean the starter should work.

When i ordered the the starter i thought i was getting the dogs of a starter
But ended up with the dogs SH-T
POWERLITE STARTERS EUROLEC COMPONENTS WHAT A RIP OFF BEST AVOID !!