starter motor

[jesfirth]

my 4.2 starter motor may be on the way out-it just clicks when the engine is hot but works mostly when cold. Does anyone know where i can source a robust starter motor as opposed to the after market cheapies that seem to fail quickly?

thanks

[Extra 300 Driver]

Check the breakers for a Nissan one, 300ZX(?) Or Maxima. Have a look in the part numers thread. Also see if you can get yours rebuilt, there are loads of places that can do it.

[simonsparrow]

jesfirth said:

my 4.2 starter motor may be on the way out-it just clicks when the engine is hot but works mostly when cold. Does anyone know where i can source a robust starter motor as opposed to the after market cheapies that seem to fail quickly? thanks

I think Andy at APM can get them rebuilt, not sure about details. (congrats on winning the championship though )

[jesfirth]

Thanks simon it was one hell of a challenge, there are some seriously quick guys in the championship.

I will speak to andy. I also need him to look at the diff.

I believe you met my neighbour martin on Saturday at the handling day. I wish I could have made it. Are you coming sprinting this year?

Jes

[350matt]

There was a thread on here recently about how some chap had done some temperature measurement and found the flow through the engine bay was not what it should be with a large 'stagent' portion of air around the back of the engine / starter motor area and so gets cooked by the exhaust heat.

The conclusion was to try and reduce airlfow from uder the car to try and reduce the pressure and so provide 'suck' the hot stagent air out down the tunnel.

Interestingly enough the littel spoiler which is originally fitted ( until it gets ripped off by a speed hump, dead rabbit, packet of fags etc) should go some way to helping with this

Must make another one for mine.....

Alternativly wrap or coat the exhausts to reduce the heat

Matt

[paul.a]

I had exactly the same problem with my starter only worked when engine cold so i bought another one but took the old one to a local commercial electrics firm that specialized in starters and they couldnt find anything wrong but fitted a new solenoid for thirty quid so now have spare one.

[nsparey]

See here.

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=214441&f=6&h=0&hw=starter+gone

[jesfirth]

thanks chaps

[tophat]

After a bit of reading I've learnt that starter motor threads go on ad nauseam but can't resist firing off another question: Anyone else have a starter that makes a horrendous metallic grating noise when cold? Seems to start smoothly when hot. Is it just a winter nastiness thing?

[TooTall Paul]

Yes, Its your starter thats on its way out

[nsparey]

Yep had one of those among the many

[Extra 300 Driver]

tophat said:

After a bit of reading I've learnt that starter motor threads go on ad nauseam but can't resist firing off another question: Anyone else have a starter that makes a horrendous metallic grating noise when cold? Seems to start smoothly when hot. Is it just a winter nastiness thing?

Its skipping off the flywheel. I have had this for many months if not years, and my starter is going strong (bugger thats done it)

[trackcar]

the metallic grating noise is the one-way clutch.

I used to have 1.1kw motors built by a firm and they became the motor supplied to tvr in the end, in fact i had the pre-production motor for a while to test it out and it was fine.

Seems though that if motors are still failing that either tvr didn't end up using this uprated unit, or even the uprated unit fails like all teh others.

I used to wrap all my motors in heat proof wrapping though in the hope that any small step was a step in the right direction.

I also do new ecu chips that bring the cooling fans on at lower temps and more often than the tvr chip in an attempt to shift air through the engine bay at low road speeds / stood still in traffic.

[dean_ratpac]

Regarding the apparent eddy of hot air that sits around the back of the engine, it is possible to run some cooling ducts from the side or front to this position? I know there’s not must room.
Does anyone know why TVR changed the washer bottle cover (engine tray) to a ‘flatter’ higher one? Anything to do with the fans throwing air so it reaches the back instead on earlier cars being directed up?

Dean

[grass widow]

tophat said:

Anyone else have a starter that makes a horrendous metallic grating noise when cold?

Hot and cold, to a point it has now died a death on the day I was supposed to have it sorted. As they say things come in threes which yesterday included the starter motor a split tyre and the boiling of the water system. It went to a my local indie on a back of a low loader so I am now checking the 'Spotted' threads to see if somebody has seen it...lol. With a bit of luck all will be sorted before the new year?