Starter motor

[twotwofour]

Then put the car in gear and roll it up and down the road. There is something wrong if the flywheel wont spin though.

I recently bought a starter for the mk3 8v engine and there were 3 different variants of the starter motor, 2 looked physically the same but carried a different part number and another looked similar but had a different shaft on the starter motor.

Testing a used starter outside of an engine does not prove its good as its not working under load.

[mongchops]

i have pushed the car in fifth gear for a short distance and the engine turned so i assume the flywheel would too as it was in gear. I compared the two starter motors and although i couldnt see if the part nos were the same they were identical in every other way. looks like a job for a man with spanners. more money wasted methinks though if it starts then its for sale again so money back, ish.

thanks for the words though, appreciated.

[Ben Lessani]

No mate, I saw no brass copper ring apart from the power lead connection.

No. Read what I put.

The bush is in the bell housing - when you slot your starter motor in, it is what the spindle centres on inside the bell housing.

You should replace this if you ever suspect a faulty starter motor - as it is commonly the cause of the issue in the first place.

Remove your starter, remove the bush and replace it.

[AudiA8Quattro]

I thought that bush was just there to support the shaft as it spins.
It can cause the gear to catch if it becomes damaged or off centre.
This happened on my old vr6.

[Ben Lessani]

It acts as both a support and a ground for the starter armature (Or at least I think so)

[AudiA8Quattro]

It acts as both a support and a ground for the starter armature (Or at least I think so)

I must admit i've never heard that before 

[mongchops]

I'm giving up. Anyone know of a good mobile mechanic in the Welling area?

[clipperjay]

There is a cog inside the block the bendix shaft can sometimes break so if it the starter motor spins okay its not engaging the shat to turn her over?
You haven't been clear if the actuall starter motor spins around when 12V is applied onto it off block?
It can click as much as it likes doesn't mean its working?

[mongchops]

the starter motor spins when it is not in place on the turn of the key. I will have to try to take it off again to see inside the block. it is such a pain to put back on though, whoever designed the bolts to go through the mount needs a slap.

[Ben Lessani]

Just

whoever designed the bolts to go through the mount needs a slap.

Support the engine with a jack and its no bother to remove.

It acts as both a support and a ground for the starter armature (Or at least I think so)

I must admit i've never heard that before 

Its from experience. I've replaced 2x starters in MK2's and in both cases, the new starter performed exactly like the old [assumed faulty] one. But after replacing the bell housing bush, they worked just like new.

@mongchops ... just change the bell housing bush and report back, seriously. It takes minutes to remove, just use a suitable sized tap and thread it into the bush, then pull out.