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I've been having the all too common starter problem on my Surf for months! You know, the 'Ignition on, turn to start, "CLICK"' syndrome! Finally decided to sort it when 3 clicks turned into 33 & no start! Luckily I was at home! A new set of solenoid contacts was going to be required.
Checking out the forums for more info on how to remove the starter, I couldn't find any posts with photos (there was one supposed but the photos were no longer present!).
There is a lot of conflicting advice on which way to remove the starter, some say from below & some say remove the air filter & other parts to remove it from above. I also checked out where to get the parts. Roughtrax charge over £50 for a comprehensive repair kit but you don't really need most of it. They were also closed for the holidays until 2nd Jan & I needed it fixed by then! I also found Repairkits UK on eBay. Checking out his website shows that virtually always the only thing that needs repairing is the contacts, the rest of the starter seems bulletproof! I bought a kit from him at £16.10 including postage & received it New Years Day.
I used the following method to do the job. Hopefully the photos will load okay, the whole point of this post!
1. Jack up & support front nearside & remove that wheel.
2. Remove both negative terminals from the batteries.
3. Remove small plastic cover on inner wheel arch by the 3 clips.
4. Starter is now visible, the upper mounting is a stud & nut, the lower is a bolt & nut, all 17mm spanner size.
5. The main cable connector can be seen. Remove the cover which is a clip on plastic part, & undo the cable retaining nut with a 17mm spanner or socket.
6. Just behind the main cable connector is the operating cable plug & socket. Prise it apart. I used the tip of a large flat screwdriver.
7. Now remove the mounting nuts & bolts with 17mm spanners & sockets. Some posts say you can't get the top one with a socket but it can be reached from alongside the bellhousing from the rear. I used a quarter drive socket set 10inch extension, universal joint & ratchet with no problem. See the photos.
8. Now the starter is free, if you wiggle it out from the housing & rotate it lengthwise until upside down, it can be removed quite easily to the rear.
9. Refitting is simply the reverse of removal.
Dismantling the starter to replace the contacts was a very simple matter.
1. Secure the motor with the end cover uppermost. Undo the 3 screws holding the end cover on & remove it.
2. The plunger can now be withdrawn. There is a ball bearing below the spring but this needn't be removed unless you plan to do some sort of clean up. I didn't see much of a necessity really.
3. The contacts can now be removed from each side of the housing by undoing the 17mm nuts & pushing the connecting copper bolts through.
4. Remove the old contacts & replace with the new. Replace all nuts ensuring the correct order of parts is observed. Not much to get wrong.
5. Insert the new plunger & check everything moves freely & seats correctly.
The new contacts supplied by Repairkits UK are larger than the originals providing a larger surface area for contact. Should last longer. Have a look at the photos for comparison of old & new contacts. One of the old ones is worn down to wafer thin, no wonder it gave up!
Hopefully this will give a little clarity on the subject for others who find themselves faced with this job!
Looking at the old contacts, the ring contact on the plunger shows fairly even wear/burning around it's whole circumference. This would be because it is free to rotate. Since only one main contact is severely burned away, it is fairly obvious that the ring contact was not hitting both contacts simultaneously. When it hits the first one no current is flowing, so no burning. When it hits the second one, current starts to flow and burns the contact as they meet. This shows the importance of both contacts being installed level. Actually, as the car has over 200,000 miles on it, I don't think it has done too badly!
Checking out the forums for more info on how to remove the starter, I couldn't find any posts with photos (there was one supposed but the photos were no longer present!).
There is a lot of conflicting advice on which way to remove the starter, some say from below & some say remove the air filter & other parts to remove it from above. I also checked out where to get the parts. Roughtrax charge over £50 for a comprehensive repair kit but you don't really need most of it. They were also closed for the holidays until 2nd Jan & I needed it fixed by then! I also found Repairkits UK on eBay. Checking out his website shows that virtually always the only thing that needs repairing is the contacts, the rest of the starter seems bulletproof! I bought a kit from him at £16.10 including postage & received it New Years Day.
I used the following method to do the job. Hopefully the photos will load okay, the whole point of this post!
1. Jack up & support front nearside & remove that wheel.
2. Remove both negative terminals from the batteries.
3. Remove small plastic cover on inner wheel arch by the 3 clips.
4. Starter is now visible, the upper mounting is a stud & nut, the lower is a bolt & nut, all 17mm spanner size.
5. The main cable connector can be seen. Remove the cover which is a clip on plastic part, & undo the cable retaining nut with a 17mm spanner or socket.
6. Just behind the main cable connector is the operating cable plug & socket. Prise it apart. I used the tip of a large flat screwdriver.
7. Now remove the mounting nuts & bolts with 17mm spanners & sockets. Some posts say you can't get the top one with a socket but it can be reached from alongside the bellhousing from the rear. I used a quarter drive socket set 10inch extension, universal joint & ratchet with no problem. See the photos.
8. Now the starter is free, if you wiggle it out from the housing & rotate it lengthwise until upside down, it can be removed quite easily to the rear.
9. Refitting is simply the reverse of removal.
Dismantling the starter to replace the contacts was a very simple matter.
1. Secure the motor with the end cover uppermost. Undo the 3 screws holding the end cover on & remove it.
2. The plunger can now be withdrawn. There is a ball bearing below the spring but this needn't be removed unless you plan to do some sort of clean up. I didn't see much of a necessity really.
3. The contacts can now be removed from each side of the housing by undoing the 17mm nuts & pushing the connecting copper bolts through.
4. Remove the old contacts & replace with the new. Replace all nuts ensuring the correct order of parts is observed. Not much to get wrong.
5. Insert the new plunger & check everything moves freely & seats correctly.
The new contacts supplied by Repairkits UK are larger than the originals providing a larger surface area for contact. Should last longer. Have a look at the photos for comparison of old & new contacts. One of the old ones is worn down to wafer thin, no wonder it gave up!
Hopefully this will give a little clarity on the subject for others who find themselves faced with this job!
Looking at the old contacts, the ring contact on the plunger shows fairly even wear/burning around it's whole circumference. This would be because it is free to rotate. Since only one main contact is severely burned away, it is fairly obvious that the ring contact was not hitting both contacts simultaneously. When it hits the first one no current is flowing, so no burning. When it hits the second one, current starts to flow and burns the contact as they meet. This shows the importance of both contacts being installed level. Actually, as the car has over 200,000 miles on it, I don't think it has done too badly!
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