V8 Starter spins but not engaging - sometimes

[zzsteve]

Title says it all.
Solenoid must be OK if it spins right?
Is there a clutch or a so-called bendix spring faulty?
Always worse in the morning from cold start.
Recently had it out and it seemed to engage and run fine on the bench.
TIA
Steve

[bee utey]

There is a clutch in the pinion that prevents over speeding of the armature, variously called a one-way, overrun or sprag clutch. They wear out eventually and are part of a new pinion or just replace the starter with another one. The earlier LR V8 starters all fit exactly the same so it's not hard to find one.

[FisherX]

I had the same problem a few years ago. Ignored it as it would eventually start UNTIL one night at the Drive-in at Mareeba when it failed completely at 1am on Sunday morning. Had to leave it there and get a cab back to Cairns. Not cheap :(

Anyway bought a new Bosch replacement from Hypertune for around $300 and drove up with a mate and got the car back home. The Bosch starter only lasted 13months and failed completely one month out of warranty :mad:. This starter was stamped "Made in Mexico" You'd think Bosch would maintain their quality no matter where it was made.

So I bought a "cheap" aftermarket from Ashdown Ingram's for $180 (still a hi torque unit) which came with a 3 year warranty that has been absolutely trouble free for a while now.

[FisherX]

I was just over at Hypertune in Cairns today and we were discussing starters. I bought a OEX and although I've had no problem and still under warranty they tell me they have had issues with OEX starters, A/C compressors and Alternators. They see a lot more of them that I do so maybe I'm lucky thus far. But I've still got 18 months of warranty left.

[CaptainJack]

found this pretty cool blog page on repairing LR starter motors ...

Land Rover Blogger – Starter Motor Service, Repair and Replacement (http://www.landroverblogger.com/starter-motor-repair-replacement)