starter motor..

[Guest]

Posted this on Boxanet too so sorry if any of you are reading this twice...

Friday night my starter motor made a bit of a funny noise, like it didnt retract the starter sprocket straight away after the engine started. It was only a brief noise, so ignored it and went home. Didnt use the car again until sunday night, and it wouldnt start!...
Spent about 2mins trying to get it to start (starter was spinning but not engaging) until it eventually caught. When it did, it fired first time as usual...

So my question is four fold!...

1) is starter motor failure a common issue on boxsters? (1999 2.5)

2) whats the best way to get to the starter motor, do I need any special tools, etc

3) should I fit an Original Porsche starter motor, or are there better / same-but-cheaper aftermarket alternatives IF it needs replacing (Im hoping I can just get away with greasing the starter sprocket and shaft)

4) while Im fiddling around in the bowels of my baby, is there anything else I should be doing at this time of year/this time of life (55k miles)

Thanks in advance
b

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the fast reply... Without wishing to sound like a dumb-a** (I know, too late already [] ) thats a lot more complicated than I imagined!.. Most of the starter motors Ive seen have a kind of centrifugal system to "throw" the starter gear into the ring on the flywheel... This arrangement seems to have a kind of fork arrangement that mechanically moves the gear into position I guess before spinning the motor? Am I right in thinking the failure Im seeing is due to parts #812 or are these just the pivot point, and the fork is actuated by something else not shown here?...

Sorry if this is a really basic question, my experience of starter motors is older german and gb cars which use a centrifugal/spring-return system to engage/dis-engage

b

 

[Guest]

Thankyou for the comments, I appreciate it... I will see if I can find a bosch service centre close by and find out about the bits
thanks again

b []

 

[Glyn]

Try cleaning the starter before you replace any components.
The starter is located on the top of the engine just below the throttle housing, two bolts hold the starter, the working part of the starter gets covered in dust from the clutch, with a tiny bit of oil its becomes a sludge.
Wash the working bits in petrol. let it dry and do not lubricate with anything, put it back and your problem should be solved

Glyn