1500 Dolly starter

[cook1e]

Anyone out there got a good 1500 Dolly starter motor they want to sell or know a source of reasonably priced reconditioned ones. Cheapest I can find is Canley classics @£95 and they don't hold any stock... Somewhere within North Hampshire/Surrey/Berkshire would be even better but will do a post job if I cant find one locally... I certainly want to avoid paying Rimmers 170 quid for one, that's for sure!

[Nick Jones]

Have you not got a decent local auto electrical place that does reconditioning?

http://autoelectricalpartsuk.co.uk/  Google found this one in Guildford but there may well be others who can sort out your existing one?

Nick

[cook1e]

I think it maybe OK after all. I was naive enough to think that a brand new battery would at least be charged up! I tried jumping the car tonight and the starter turned, albeit slowly. I checked the voltage on my new battery and it was only showing 12.3 under no load so it's now on charge overnight. Fingers crossed for the morning. Thanks for the link though, Guildford is only about 15 miles or so away so if I do need to get a reconditioned one they will be worth a try.

[Nick Jones]

Also check ALL of the connections on the big wires are clean and tight and also (especially) the earth return straps.  I've previously had problems with earth return straps that look ok but don't actually conduct electricity very well......

If you've been sold a new battery that is insufficiently charged to start a car I'd strongly suggest returning it under warranty as it may well be partially sulphated, which will mean it never performs properly.

Nick

[cook1e]

The saga continues!  

I tried starting it again after charging the battery up, it turned over very slowly and started smoking, one of the wires (the smaller of the two) between the solenoid and the alternator melted. I guess it was a big current draw due to the resistance. I've stripped it out of the harness the lighter of the two wires between the alternator and solenoid is totally FUBAR, ther heavier one runs between the same two points but that's OK. I've have ordered a replacement alternator connector kit to do the job properly together with new battery leads and a new lead to go to the body earth. I'm still not convinced that the starter isn't knackered though and I've been recommended Burghfield starter and alternator company near Reading from a thread I started in the Dolomite Group on facebook. It is only 20 mins away from home/work and they say on their website that they will test starters and alternators for free. So I'll take it into them for a check rather than risk burning out wiring again. They only charge £40 to rebuild a starter (no matter what is involved) plus the cost of any parts so that sounds reasonable. They give a free estimate too before starting work too so I've nothing to lose.

Luckily I don't need the car in a hurry, I've got TriumFest/Marque Day at Sanata Pod  this weekend which I'm doing in the GT6 and I'm away doing family stuff the following weekend so plenty of time to get the Dolly starter re-built...

[Nick Jones]

If you've really got a fat wire and a thin wire going between exactly the same two points, and the thin one is melting - suggests to me that that thicker one has a problem and is not doing it's share of the work.

Also you need to check the earths, that melted wire could be the current finding another way (hot choke and throttle cables can be a clue too)  Jump leads are useful for bypassing car wiring and making temporary high current connections.

Nick

[cook1e]

Nick,
     
I've now had the starter tested by Burghfield Starter and Alternators and it has bbeen confirmed as knackered, from what they said after stripping it down to investigate  the main reason for a high current draw was that the solenoid contacts were badly worn and only just making a contact. The brushes are also worn away to almost nothing so needed replacement anyway!  I had a choice they charge £40 for a repair plus parts which would have been £60 total or £70 for a full recon, so it's a no brainer I'm getting a full recon. That way it's fully guaranteed for a year where as a repair is only guaranteed for the bits that were fixed. Price is plus VAT so at £84 cheaper than the best price I've found elsewhere (Canleys) plus no carriage to worry about. They have all the parts in stock and it will be ready on Monday too which is pretty good service.

I've also now got a new set of battery leads and body earth lead that have arrived today ready to fit and I'll replace the burnt out wire in the harness. The thicker wire to the alternator seems fine, I've tested it with a meter and it has no resistance and also looks in good condition with good connections.

[cook1e]

So having picked up the reconditioned starter on Monday it’s just been far too hot to work on cars the last few days until tonight. So today I refitted the starter, replaced the burnt out secondary positive wire between the starter and alternator, replaced both the battery leads, replaced the body earth lead and replaced the alternator connector block. The alternator was replaced with a heavy duty one last year, the battery was new this month so I’ve basically got a completely new charging and starting system.
Then the moment of truth as I tried to start the car, wow that new starter cranked over really fast and the car sprang into life really quickly. I think the old starter has been on the way out for a long time, probably before I bought the car 3 years ago.
So just a bit more tidying up of the loom where I had to strip it back to get the burnt out wire out and it’ll be job done. I’d certainly recommend Burghfield Start and Alternators, they did a good job, quickly at a reasonable price reconditioning my old unit.