Td5 Starter Repair DIY

**rijidij** · 30th March 2009, 01:07 PM

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.

Remove the plunger and spring. These should just pull out very easily. As you can see here, it’s very dirty and greasy inside.

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.

These are the bits that cause the problem. The contacts and the plunger no longer have a good connection when they come together.

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.

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.

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

Cheers, Murray

**Xtreme** · 30th March 2009, 01:14 PM

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 · 4th November 2009, 11:46 AM

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** · 4th November 2009, 04:02 PM

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 · 6th November 2009, 10:11 PM

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** · 12th April 2010, 08:42 PM

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 · 18th April 2010, 05:52 PM

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)

All up $21.00 including the plunger!

**deeflet** · 19th June 2010, 06:01 PM

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

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** · 19th June 2010, 06:52 PM

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** · 20th June 2010, 07:59 PM

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.

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