Bosch starter motor

[vitesse]

For the last 2-3 months,sometimes the starter motor kicks out during the starting cycle but thankfully eventually starts the car.So this week ,whilst my trackday car was on my ramps enabling me to solve a long running water loss problem,I removed the motor ,a Bosch small diameter unit to investigate.
Removed the 2 long studs & removed the motor casing from the end drive casting & found that a small section of the white plastic housing therein, had fractured which had been allowing the epicyclic gearbox section to move slightly on use.This had also damaged the adjacent moulded "cush " insert (there are 3 such inserts).

Took it down to Vehicle Electrical Repair in downtown Bootle(25min drive)-they found a new plastic housing(they call it the motor mount)in stock & I collected the rebuilt starter 3 hours later after it had been bench tested. Cost £30 all in.
Have no connection with them although have used them several times in the past for fork truck starters,distributers etc-really good service & less than half the price of a secondhand unit.

Incidentally ,the water loss (which I had suffered for 3/4 years just topping up regularly-lazy I know,but had done the oil cooler seals when that leaked ) was a virtually non- existent O-ring somebody before me had fitted in the plastic take off which seals the waterpump outlet on non turbos.Took the opportunity to also replace the thermostat which actually looked OK but had a
duff rubber seal-possibly the cause of the engine running cool(I hope -but could be the Bosch temperature gauge sensor)

 

[bmnelsc]

A great result and a lesson to us all to seek "alternative" professionals when our beloved Porsche has an issue. I believe it pays to search for assistance based on the component manufacturer - in this case Bosch - before confessing the component is off a Porsche. For example - I was turned away for AC service on my 944 because it was a Porsche - no one bothered to look to see that AC service on a 944 is as simple as anything else (except the one service port is down on the compressor rather than readily accessible under the hood). I'm guessing past difficulties with other Porsche models lead the mechanics to wave off the work. I did find a shop that was happy to take on the work after a quick look under the hood declaring it was no more difficult to work on than its contemporaries.

 

[graham.webb]

That plastic water pump elbow has leaked twice on my S2...first time I flatted off the flange and reassembled with Hylomar, and that worked. When my indie replaced the water pump they fitted a new elbow, but I asked for my fettled part back, just in case....

 

[vitesse]

Bruce -absolutely correct-there is usually nothing particularly special just because it comes off a Porsche-I had to remove the operating solenoid & rotate it a screwhole so that it will fit on the car to suit the cable positions-had I not been so old & forgotten to take my little sketch I made so I would know the orientation of the fittings when I took it down to them,then I wouldn't have needed to even do that.Shortly going out to re-fit it []

Graham,what I found was that the 2 steel bushes at the bolt positions had also been pushed through the plastic elbow such that they were preventing what was left of the flattened O-ring from sealing properly-so I've also fitted washers under the SS capscrews that were used to stop that happening -PET parts shows washers & setscrews-see you at Curborough.
just got to change the cambelt!