Just a declaration!!!!

[bstardchild]

I am never ever ever doing a starter motor on a AEX 1.4 Polo again!!!!

I'll sell the damn car if the new one plays up again - what a ***** job!!!

Anyway - this is a sort of guide on how to do it but if it was me I'd take the car to a dealer next time or sell it!!!!!!

Background

Been starting a bit eratically - like tha battery is flat but it does start - for a while and alternator is charging properly and battery is perfect so I checked all the conections and everything was good so it had to be the starter motor......

The task!

Luckily I had a spare one from the engine I bought from Gareth GT

So rather than put that in I got it refurbed so it was like new and then thought I'd fit it

Starter motor removal old one was out in 30 mins

Airbox assembly off and you can get at all the bolts from above

Problem came when I realised the bush in the gearbox was knackered and that was allowing play on the starter motor so that needed to come out - the place I get the starter motors refurbished supplies a new bush so it makes sense to use it I thought esp as the old one was thin!!!

Could I get the old bush out - could I hell - 2 bloody hours of trying everything I knew to get it out still had the majority of it jammed in place

In the end I customised a spare pair of internal circlip pliers to have sharp ends that could bite into the bush and that and a small hammer got the damn thing out!!!

Then it came to fitting the new bush - well i quickly found it wouldn't press in by hand - even if I stuck it in the freezer for 30 mins and put a hot air gun on the gearbox casing so it had to be knocked in

I had to use a M12 Bolt with a nut wound up the thread

bit of insulation tape to stop the bush distorting and then tap it in!!!

Think again - the Flywheel/ring gear runs so tight to the bush hole that the nut was fouling meaning I was going to insert the bush on the p*** so back to the drawing board

Wind the nut another 50mm back

put a thin tube over the thread thats the seme size as the bush or slightly larger and then tap it in

Hooray bush inserted

Starter motor back in in 30 mins

Fired up perfect (hasn't given me a problem starting since)

Finally got round to adjusting the headlights properly

Gave it an oil and filter change 250 miles overdue

My back hurts now I have cuts on my hands and forearms and Like I said right at the beginning I'm not gonna do this job again ever!!!

[walshc]

Fancy doin mine only jokin