Drowned PowerLite starter

[Waynebaby]

I managed to kill my PowerLite starter motor whilst draining and flushing the block on my GT6, a process which pours a deluge of water over the starter motor. On this occasion the deluge lasted 20 minutes, so the unit got a good soaking.  I've got away with this on several previous occasions and thought I'd repeated this when I did the flush last Thursday, since everything seemed fine and the PowerLIte happily started the engine before and after a test run. Having spent the intervening period presumably corroding some vital internal component, the PowerLite is today as dead as a Dodo. Needless to say I only ascertained this after buying a new battery! (Yuasa 075, £104 at Halfords)

I've refitted the original Bendix starter and wonder if anybody else has had this problem or if I was just unlucky. Also, do other wiser heads use some strategically placed polythene sheet to divert the water coming from the engine-block drain away from the starter?

Wayne

[Peter Truman]

I did read or was advised somewhere there is a drain hole and in some of our figments ie orientations this doesn’t end up at the bottom so it doesn’t drain. Fact or fiction I don’t know?

[Waynebaby]

Hi Peter,

It is a fact, but it clearly doesn't drain too well. When I stripped the unit just now I found the problem was with the solenoid, which is in the lower portion of the unit where the "drain hole" is. The iron core of the solenoid had become slightly corroded and along with greasy gunk in there it just wasn't pulling in when power was applied. Once I cleaned up the core and fettled the internal contacts that the solenoid closes to energise the motor, everything was hunky-dory again. I think I'll hold off swapping it back until I'm next under the car (because it's a bit of a chore the fit) and see how the original Bendix fares.

Wayne  

[Colin Lindsay]

Same as my hi-torque starter on my GT6, a few years back. The drain hole was on the top, as due to the external solenoid it couldn't be fitted any other way, and it filled up with water then rusted merrily away. I couldn't believe the state of it - see photo. I stripped it down, cleaned everything back to good metal then filled it full of grease and it ran for the rest of my ownership with no problems. 

[Pete Lewis]

we got a genuine VW replacement for a next doors skoda 

it lasted two days and the pinion fell off and jammed the torque convertor , all easy to replace the exchange

unit looked like Colins  as if it was from the Titanic,   more rust than trust 

it did get replaced but just added my experiences of supposed , well painted and boxed rubbish

we had problems with low cost exchange suppliers  that cost a fortune in replacing junk

some times the replacement was worse than the unit handed in for exchange 

so beware .....you often dont get what you pay for 

Pete

[Ian Foster]

20 hours ago, Waynebaby said:

whilst draining and flushing the block on my GT6, a process which pours a deluge of water over the starter motor

I have a section of 38mm water pipe with a shaped end which I place under the drain tap for this task.

Ian

[Waynebaby]

Hi Colin

Same as my hi-torque starter on my GT6, a few years back. The drain hole was on the top, as due to the external solenoid it couldn't be fitted any other way, and it filled up with water then rusted merrily away. I couldn't believe the state of it - see photo. I stripped it down, cleaned everything back to good metal then filled it full of grease and it ran for the rest of my ownership with no problems. 

Mine wasn't quite as far gone as yours, but the solenoid didn't look very healthy when I first opened it up!

Wayne

[Mjit]

Glad/sorry to hear I'm not the only one left unimpressed with their hi-torque starter motor.

I fitted one after converting my car to MegaJolt ignition and having trouble starting, thinking it was the old starter not turning the engine fast enough.  Wasn't (was actually me missing the cranking advance setting) and just gave me a starter with a solenoid that would stick when warm after about 12 months on the car.  Eventually got tired of having to hit the thing to start the engine and swapped back to the original starter motor and not had an issue since.