L19 MUD wrote:

and then undid the drop links where they attach to the anti roll bar. I could then hold the anti roll bar down on the drivers side with a pry bar to get enough space.

My sincere thanks to all those who have contributed on this topic.
Has saved me from a world of pain and a 2.3 metric tonne (or thereabouts) doorstop on my drive.

I would echo L19 MUD's words - once symptoms become apparent don't delay.
Sadly, I did and herself consequently rendered immobile.

In truth I had been hoping she'd hold out, if not until the end of the ongoing public health emergency, then at least until a tangible improvement so that I might reasonably engage the assistance of a local specialist.
But it was not to be...

Not much fancying the abuse/mockery that I might reasonably expect were I to beg for help from professionals, I came to spend considerable time poring over these threads so as to see my way forward.

Denso DSN1207 acquired from LRDirect (my thanks to sumshiftyguy) - Opie who may have been slightly cheaper had sadly had sold out and were experiencing supply issues.

A spur of the moment thing, I suddenly decided that I needed an inspection light.
Having made do for years with a flakey, decades old and badly wired item sporting a filament bulb, it was time for a proper one.
£35 quid from Amazon, a Ryobi which would use my existing batteries.

As I say, spur of the moment - pretty sure now that I could not have managed without it.

I'd love to be able to say that I completed the job in the two or three hours claimed by others.
Fair play to those who managed to get this done so quickly. Sadly, it did take me considerably longer.

Points of note during the process:

1/ Immobile for a month, what with COVID and a failed starter, herself was looking rather low on the air bags.
The starter was not going to clear the anti-roll bar.
Solution found on p.90/91 of the Owner's Handbook.
Switch on hazard lights, close the doors and press the indicated buttons on the Smartkey.
A bit slow, but nevertheless up she came.

Crucially, and although it does not say so in the book, it is not a requirement of this feature that the engine is running or even that the ignition is switched on.
It's intended to facilitate loading and trailer attachment.

Perhaps not ideal. But needs must - there was no way that I was going to be disconnecting the anti-roll bar or otherwise dismantling the suspension.
Above my pay grade that...

You'll want the car's battery to be good beforehand of course.
And Smartkey might be needing a new battery afterwards...

2/ Assisted by gravity, the old motor came out through the bottom.
A bit of fiddling/rotating etc. - it wasn't really all that difficult.

Come the return trip, gravity again got involved and just would not play ball.
Was the new motor a slightly different shape to the old one ?
I could not tell and by this time had not the patience to crawl out from under the car again to compare.

In desperation tried bringing the motor in through the wheel arch.
With the car immobile on a surface not as level as one might wish, I'd opted not to take off the O/S/F wheel.
Nor had I turned the steering from straight ahead.

Surprisingly however, the new motor then went in with remarkably little fuss.

3/ An issue I had throughout the exercise was one of access - unsurprisingly.
It ought to be possible to remove/refit the nut for the main power feed with a 17 mm spanner.
In practice, the proximity of that fat cable made it impossible to properly engage the nut and there's not room in there for a socket wrench. But you can fit a 17mm socket on the nut and apply a socket wrench using an extension bar passing over the drive shaft.

4/ New motor has been in for a week now. Previously, even when the old starter was still operational, it did require a sustained press on the starter button - release too soon and she might not start.
Perhaps a little subjective, but leads me to suspect that the failure may have been coming for some considerable time even before the the more overt "click" and accompanying failure to start with which we're familiar.
Having now reviewed once more some earlier posts, I might not be the first to notice this.

Things I might do differently - next time (?) :

1/ Do the job in July - not January as I have...
2/ As mentioned earlier - do not delay. An immobilised L322 requiring amateur maintenance is an altogether different proposition to one still able to move under its own power.

Finally, aware that enquiries with a view to repairing a failed starter motor have come up empty, I note nevertheless that longd did report some success on this back in October of last year. Subject to the durability of this solution, I am half considering doing something similar with the starter I've just removed - ready for next time...

Warwick

Last edited by Kiss My Carbon Footprint on 18th Jan 2021 8:52pm. Edited 1 time in total

Hopefully, there won't be a next time

Mike

My thanks Mike.
Your contribution on this topic has been quite invaluable.

Warwick

Just ordered a new starter for mine and will be using this Wiki article to get it installed.

Reason for doing so is despite fitting a brand new battery (Bosch S5 020) I'm still getting the "Special Programs Off" bong on startup so assuming the starter may be on it's way out.

Hopefully this will cure it once and for all! 09 RR Westminster 3.6TDV8 - Stornoway Grey / Black interior - now gone (sad face)
Nissan X Trail 1.6TDCi Tekna
Fiat 500 1.2

Is it struggling to start?

Usually suspension issues give that bong and not starter problems afaia.

You might be just throwing your money away, get the codes read first

Good luck

IID tool is reporting "U016700 - Lost communication with the vehicle immobilizer control", which according to WM is a DTC that may be starter related. No other codes (aside from the usual speaker nonsense), definitely nothing suspension related and the suspension itself seems perfectly happy.

TBH, I'm happy to pay for the peace of mind that comes from knowing the starter is good. 09 RR Westminster 3.6TDV8 - Stornoway Grey / Black interior - now gone (sad face)
Nissan X Trail 1.6TDCi Tekna
Fiat 500 1.2

I had the dreaded click on my 4.4 td , took the starter out in 3 hours yes it is like a Chinese puzzle to get it out , dismantled the starter and found the aforementioned burnt terminals cleaned them up and smeared a small amount of contact grease on the contacts re assembled . Refitted and over the last month it has never missed a beat and in fact it seems like it turns over faster . lots of Pounds saved, for a few hours jiggling ... 2012 Black 4.4 TDV8
1968 Mgb Gt

That's good to know.

Most of us order the replacement before starting so never really find out if a repair is feasible.

Well done!

Mike

So are we better getting a non genuine starter as a replacement then? Will the terminals still do the same thing?

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

May I ask what a specialist should charge for this job please?

So, if it fails to start, do I look for a hammer?

If so, where do I hit with said hammer?

The “hammer” trick worked on old starter motors when the bendix stuck. The main problem on the L322 is burning on the terminals of the solenoid that converts a low electrical current from the starter switch into high power from the Battery... it is effectively a large heavy duty relay switch. No amount of hammering will fix this! When it first occurs it will generally start after a number of attempts but this in turn adds to the issue and speeds up the need to replace the starter as the solenoid is built on the side. In the olden days solenoids were generally separate from the starter. 2012 tdv8 Westminster arrived Jan 19 gone Dec 23

200 TDi discovery bobtail gone
RR classic v8 bobtail gone
300 tdi Discovery 3 dr gone

Thanks

mjdronfield wrote:

So are we better getting a non genuine starter as a replacement then? Will the terminals still do the same thing?