Just finished changing out the starter motor on a 1991 8v (PB) and thought it might be helpful to post some comments to stop people making the same mistakes I did (only ever changed a starter motor on an Austin Mini which is a piece of cake in comparison):
Buying a replacement:
1) Got mine from GSF and was keen to get one with two spade connections as that is what the old motor had. Got them to get 8v and 16v out - they looked different but neither of them had the extra connection. Went with the 8v version as it was cheaper and looked more likely to fit the spade connector on the harness. If I did this job again I would probably get the parts somewhere else and go for a better brand (as you will see later). Here's what the old one looked like
Getting the old motor out:
1) nut holding on main feed wire was seized solid to the point where attempts to undo it just resulted in the threaded post spinning in solenoid housing. All the fiddling was too much for connector on the main cable which snapped off. Would be better to use a nut splitter. Used a hacksaw in the end to free the feed from the alternator.
2) The three bolts are bloody tight - breaker bar required. If you are using release agent use it where it's going to work - the bolts are really long and come out on the other side of the distributor so spray there and not around the bolt heads like I did.
3) even with engine supported from below when the last bolt came out the engine moved a lot and the front mount springs away from its normal position. Would have been better to use a proper engine support that holds the engine at the top.
4) Don't use Haynes - not a single bit of the manual I had was correct for a GTI. Not a single mention of the need to support the engine - good job I have a Bentley manual too.
Fitting the replacement:
1) Should have fitted the new bush I bought but I figured that it was going to be tricky as it was a cold day (aluminium expands/contracts more than bronze) and the existing one didn't look too bad - might regret it as getting this motor out again might be tricky because:
2) The replacement is so poorly designed that getting a 17mm sockets over two of the three bolts is impossible. It's not even possible to get a ring spanner over them so ended up doing them up as tight as I could with an open ended spanner - if I ever need to take it off will probably end up having to grind some material off the motor.
3) Getting the bolts back in means raising the engine a lot to meet back up with the front mount to the point where the whole car also gets raised a lot - I had a jack placed on the gearbox side of the bell housing which may not have been ideal but I didn't want to go anywhere need the sump. I'll definitely be getting a proper engine support next time.
Now everything works OK - I can only assume that the extra wire on my car serves no purpose - maybe the harnesses and starters were common on the late ones and the connection does nothing other than stop the spare wire flapping about.
