Td5 Starter Repair DIY

[rijidij]

Thanks to information and advise offered by others on this forum, I gained the knowledge I needed to repair my own started motor on my Td5.
The symptoms of the problem were, intermittent starting, turn the key and nothing happens, but at another time it would start normally. Dash lights always lit up as normal.
Apparently this is a common problem with the Td5, and it’s usually due to worn contacts in the starter solenoid.
Luckily, it’s one of the cheaper things to have to fix on a Td5.
I wont go into detail as to the removal of the starter from the vehicle as it’s in the workshop manual.

Remove starter from vehicle. Give it a clean and remove the cover plate from the solenoid housing.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/142.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/143.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/144.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/145.jpg


Remove the plunger and spring. These should just pull out very easily. As you can see here, it’s very dirty and greasy inside.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/146.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/147.jpg


Carefully undo the nuts on the outside of the threaded posts, and remove them from the inside. Be careful not to damage the small tab on the inside of the L/H one that is wired into the guts of the solenoid. Keep all the bits in order so you know how it will go back together.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/148.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/149.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/150.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/151.jpg


These are the bits that cause the problem. The contacts and the plunger no longer have a good connection when they come together.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/152.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/153.jpg


The small contacts have been known to completely wear away leaving nothing for the plunger to connect with. In that situation you would need to buy a new plunger and new contacts. But in this case, there is plenty of thickness left on the contacts, although they are a bit pitted.
The problem here was all the greasy dirt causing a bad connection between the surfaces.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/154.jpg


So I gave everything a good clean. I used metho inside the solenoid and gave the contact surfaces a wire brush, then carefully put it all back together.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/155.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/156.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/157.jpg https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/143.jpg


I fitted the starter back on the vehicle and it hasn’t missed a beat. JOB DONE.

Cheers, Murray

[Xtreme]

I experienced exactly the same symptoms about six months ago and got away with simply cleaning and tightening the main cable to the starter motor and hasn't missed a beat since.

I guess next time it occurs though, I'll have to look up this thread and follow your very good tutorial.

Roger

[stevep]

Thanks Murray,

Using your info I cleaned it all & refitted but it still didn't work , contacts were worn & plunger was really thin on one side of the circle, so I have just replaced the contacts ($22) & the plunger ($61) & it all works perfectly. Its a MY00 with 175000 klms.

thanks again:)
Steve

[Hendrik]

THanks for the tutorial.
I did this to mine when my contacts wore out, and your right, since then it hasn't missed a beat. So much cheaper to do it yourself too. Good Stuff

[Didge]

Murray/ rijidij, I teach at tafe but the lesson you provided here was faultless and makes me feel like a total beginner. We need people like you to prepare the workshop manuals for mobs like Haymes, Gregory's, etc. The photos were superb and your descriptions accurate and concise. Top work.
cheers gerald

[aferrier]

Thanks so much Murray... you're instructions were just what I needed to rebuild our starter motor.

I was able to get the job done for $32 in parts ... in Melbourne, I went to Ashdown-Ingram.

Contact Set part # SLX75827 (same, but pack says "Rodeo")
Plunger part # SLX75564 (exact replacement part)

Just like a bought one!

Thanks,
Alistair

2001 Disco TD5

[Shaker]

I fitted one of these kits from the UK ..... LANDROVER DISCOVERY TD5 98 ON STARTER MOTOR REPAIR KIT - eBay Other, Engines, Components, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 28-Apr-10 00:41:48 AEST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/LANDROVER-DISCOVERY-TD5-98-ON-STARTER-MOTOR-REPAIR-KIT_W0QQitemZ330424928072QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car _Parts_Accessories?hash=item4ceedc4748)

All up $21.00 including the plunger!

[deeflet]

Great tutorial - a fantastic example of just how useful AULRO can be.

Just my 2 cents worth of improvement regarding the actual removal of the starter motor from the vehicle. The workshop manual makes it sound so simple - just remove two bolts and one nut.

I suggest reading this : td5 Starter motor removal (http://www.d2au.com/index.php'topic=733.0)

The job is impossible without a 15mm 3/8 drive socket, but a breeze with one.

Hope this proves useful to Disco 2 owners.

Cheers - David

[mike_ie]

As others have already said, excellent tutorial. The only thing I would recommend is that, if you're going to go to the trouble of taking out and stripping down the starter, for the sake of $20 I'd probably replace the contacts as a matter of course. With the amount of pitting that your contacts have, I can see the same problem arising again in the future.

[Barefoot Dave]

Nice job Ridjidij

I fitted the starter back on the vehicle and it hasn’t missed a beat. JOB DONE

Whish I could say the same : ((
Went ok for a few days, then begin the intermittent starting again. Starter is getting full overhaul as we speak.
Dave.

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

Excellent work!!
I have the click click clicks at the moment.

Cheers

Andrew

[LOVEMYRANGIE]

Excellent work!!
I have the click click clicks at the moment.

Cheers

Andrew

Ironic i postef this only the other day....

Clicks turned into a "clunk" today with the solenoid not even returning, or so i thought. Took battery lead off, got underneath and popped off plunger cover with starter still inplace. Plunger came out OK but return spring was in masses of little pieces.... "this cant be good.." i thought to myself.
Cleaned it up, stuck it back in and tried to push it home to check it would make contact, jammed half way :angry:
Small pieces of spring are jamming the pinion drive against the ring gear.... AAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!
get out the sockets.... Sidchrome 1/2, and Metrinch 3/8. Start with the Metrinch, closest is 16mm-5/8, hmmmmm, get out Sidchrome 5/8, fits but not perfect alignment so back to the Metrinch which is 16-5/8....... Arghhh, swear, some more, more again, becoming a habit, "slip" FOR $&@? SAKE YOU $@?!#¥< USELESS ........... Youe get the picture!

Off to tool shop now to get 15mm 3/8, a new extension just in case and a starter kit. Will need to pull pinion apart when its off, hopefully thats going to be fixable...... :/

[stevo]

mine did the click thing yesteray, now has 230K on it I suppose the alternator will be the next item to die

[rangietragic]

my 2000 td5 130 had the clicks about 18 months ago. pulled starter out and contacts burnt away.fitted set $22 off ebay and problem solved.had the clicks again last week,pulled it out again and contacts burnt outagain!:mad:wont be using those anymore!

[igould]

Fantastic tutorial. Made is so easy, and quicker than I expected.
Although I found that my 3/8" extension bars were either too short, or too long with an extra one. The 1/2" drive socket and extension bar were perfect.
Thanks a lot Murray.

Ian

[Pedro_The_Swift]

This from Mturri. :BigThumb::clap2:

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2/133388-td5-starter-rebuild.html

Rebuilding the starter motor is no big thing, getting the starter in & out is a pig though. Make sure you have a good supply of 3/8” wobble extensions, unijoints, flexjoints, etc.

Based on a recent job this would be the DIY procedure.

First off give the starter a good clean up and set up the operating table (8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 mm wrenches, degreaser, rag, etc.)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/656.jpg

Remove (3) x 8 mm hex screws and take out solenoid housing cover plate:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/657.jpg

Solenoid plunger at sight:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/658.jpg

Pull plunger & spring out:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/659.jpg

How the contacts looked:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/660.jpg

How the copper contact in the plunger looked, this bit is pressed against both contacts to close the circuit and power the starter:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/661.jpg

Carefully undo the nuts and break apart both contact assemblies (back up from inside with appropriate wrenches):
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/662.jpg

How it looked with the contacts out of the way:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/663.jpg

The contacts as they came out (the RH one is presumably a non original one – starter had been repaired before):
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/664.jpg

Repair kit:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/665.jpg

New vs used contact, note the amount and shape of wear:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/666.jpg

Used (left) vs new (right) plunger, again note how much material has been lost:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/667.jpg

New contacts just installed:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/09/668.jpg

It is worth doing some continuity tests with a multimeter or tester as to make sure everything stayed as it should be. In the above picture:

- The left hand contact is common to ground so should have continuity against the housing.
- The right hand contact should only conduct to the external contact bolt where the battery positive connects.
- The external Lucar connector (spade) should only conduct to the lower right end conductor going down into the solenoid coil.

Finally push the new plunger (with old spring) in and reinstall the housing cover plate. Starter is now as good as new!

Cheers
Matt

[mark td5]

So I just did this job.
I found it initially very difficult but after having done it, it’s not so bad.
My starter just died about 230k with just the click, click sound. The battery was OK with voltage above 12.7v cold. I could not get the thing to start until a friend went under the car and taped the solenoid with e jack leaver. Know I suggest you only do this if you are confident because if you hit the positive terminal on the starter and the car body at the same time then you are going to get one hell of a spark. So be careful if you try this. This worked and got me going for a week while I waited for the solenoid parts to come from the e-bay supplier.
If your going to take the starter out then I recommend you replace the parts with what is available in the kits on the net from several suppliers.
The old terminals will always have a bit of meat left on them and you wonder why you did the job when you take it apart. What is happening is the disc on the plunger actually can not descend any further towards the worn terminals because of the insulating ring that protrudes from the internal hole of the disc along the shaft of the plunger on the solenoid side. So if you wire brush the disc which will work for a while all your doing is cleaning the insulating disc which is good but you also remove some material from the insulating ring. So the disc is then allowed to move closer to the worn terminals and contact is made. For a while??
So taking the solenoid plunger out while the starter is in the car by removing the back solenoid plate and wire brushing the disc may help you out for a while until the correct parts come in the mail.
About a 15 minute job. Do not bother with the terminals other than to CRC clean them a bit. I do not recommend this as a fix. The insulation ring is there for a very good reason. You can’t just keep cutting it down until you end up with nothing. The disc will then hit the solenoid insulation plate and it may damage it.
I ordered the parts from e-bay and it took a few days for it to come but the temporary fix was fine until I could get n top of the job.
By far the hardiest thing I found about removing the starter was the top nut. There are wed threads that talk about a 15mm 3/8 socket as being the secrete. I found this worked for me and you have to loosen the lower two bolts on the starter to tilt the starter down a little to finish getting the nut off. There is a ridge on the starter, which is what is causing all the problems. I went out and had to buy 3/8 15mm socket and extension and a cheap ratchet. I would suggest you just buy a cheap 15mm ½ socket and using your metal cut off grinder, just cut the nut end off the socket so the sockets total length is less than 30mm and you will then be able to use your ½" extension and ratchet tools. I wish I did that rather than buy $25 worth of 3/8 tools I now don’t need.
Do the reverse when you put the starter in. Just leave the lower bolts loose so you can tilt the starter down a little and you will be able to balance the nut in the socket and turn the extension until its tight and need the ratchet to finish the job. Its not easy because you just are feeling it in. You cant see the nut when your under the car. The nut took me about 5 goes and then it was on.
Good luck.

[130man]

Hi all, I did this job about three weeks ago but found that the nut on the top stud was a 17mm, not a 15mm. I also found that if I removed the air intake tube that crosses behind the Defender TD5 motor, I could see the nut in question. Still a bugger of a job to get it off. To make it easier to remove and replace the 13mm nuts, I found a handy piece of 1/2" RHS that was long enough to get out past the bullbar. A 19/32nds [ I think] socket fitted the spanner end quite neatly allowing the 1/2" ratchet to work. The rest was easy. Cheers, 130man.

[steved]

Thanks great post and pics are very helpfull, just about to do same to my Disc 2 and wondering if it necessary to attach a power supply to car so as not to loose radio memory etc, only reason is once had local workshop remove cables and took me ages to get radio up running again. cheers Steved

[igould]

wondering if it necessary to attach a power supply to car so as not to loose radio memory etc
As long as you know the security code for the radio, it takes only seconds to get it going again.
If you don't know it, then you'll need to keep power up to it the whole time, or preferably find out first what the code is.

Ian

[130HCPU]

Firstly, thanks for all the great contributions in this thread. Good, nuts and bolts stuff.

My 130 had started to get the “click click” so I ordered the kit from UK. The day after the kit arrived, the old girl refused to start. I was stuck in a location where I did not want to have to pull out the starter. Luckily the solenoid kit was still in the vehicle and I did have some tool with me. After disconnecting the battery, I removed the solenoid cover and removed the plunger. The copper contact ring was virtually gone. I cleaned up the inside as best I could and dropped in the new plunger. Bingo – started first go. Fifteen minutes all up.

Once home I did the job properly and noticed that the contacts were not too badly damaged but replaced them anyway.

I know that this is not a full fix but it certainly was a “get me home” remedy in my case.

Hope this post is as useful to someone as all the others were to me.

Hank

[Hugh_D]

Thanks for your lead. Ebay purchase inc freight $29.40.


Will go into the spares box for travelling.


Hugh.

[mzs]

Very good tutorial, helps me a lot.
I will do it myself, too.