For the past few months I've been having problems with my Volvo starting. I paid a local mechanic $200 to "rebuild" the starter and after looking at it a few months later (when it stopped starting again) it looks as though he didn't even touch it because the bolts going into it are completely rusted (which I would think he would have replaced).

I was looking into buying a starter online and was wondering what a good price would be one. I found a site that has a Bosch (740 Turbo Diesel 85-86 Starter Gear Reduction SR97X) [http://www.thevolvosite.com/shop/index.php?Cat=986&car_model=740] for $102. Is this the correct starter? How does the price sound? If not, can someone point me to another site that has good prices?


Is this something that I should be able to do myself? I haven't done a lot of work on my Volvo, just oil and coolant changes. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of money (college student) and I really can't afford to pay someone to do this. (I have a decent amount of tools, as well as a 3.5 ton jack and jack stands.) There also doesn't seem to be anyone in town that I trust because when I brought the diesel into the Volvo dealer here, they said that was the first Volvo diesel they had seen in over 10 years??? In addition to that, the guy who specializes in "Euromotors" seemed to have ripped me off and didn't do what he said he'd do.

Also, the coolant is leaking out from where a hose (about 1.5" thick and 2 feet long and toward the driver side of the car from the engine). It looks as though the guy who replaced the glow plugs last winter had clamped down too much on the ring that hooks it onto a little nozzle. Does anybody know of a good site where can buy an official Volvo replace for this hose?


Thanks,

Jeff

Anybody? :)

Ursula,

It began having problems starting a few months ago (about 2 months after they fixed it). I called them up and asked them if they guaranteed their work and they said for a year. I told them they had just "rebuilt" the starter and that it was no longer starting. He came out and put it on his truck and ended up saying the alternator belt was wayyy loose. I don't believe it because it was doing the same exact thing it did two months prior when he said the brushes had worn out on the starter so it had to be rebuilt. (They ended up trying to charge me $75 for towing, adjusting the belts, and fixing the fuel gauge (even though I never asked them to and it still doesn't work!)).

ndesouza,

When I go to start it, it just makes a loud clicking noise (the engine never tries to turn over). If I bang on the starter with something it usually starts right up.

Steve,

I believe it's the starter because I saw the guy bang on it with a broom handle a few times and it started right up (before he told me it needed to be rebuilt). When it wouldn't start a month ago I tried doing this after trying to start it about 10x and it started right up. I guess something may be loose inside the starter and banging on it moves things around???

Brandon,

Unfortunately, I live in eastern NC, otherwise if I live close to you I'd be glad to have you work on it. I wish I had someone I could go to here that I could trust and who knows what their doing.

I'll try cutting back the hose and see if it will still reach. If not, would this be the hose I should buy to replace it? (They didn't have the 740 GLE Turbo Diesel as an option) You said lower hose, but wouldn't it be the upper since it's at the top of the engine (near the hood)? I know you said lower and I know you certainly know your stuff, but it seems to me like the lower would be towards the bottom of the engine?

----

Would this be the correct starter (Bosch Starter w/ Solenoid - Remfd - BSASR97X ) to get then?

http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/search_results_product_detail.d2w/report?prrfnbr=15604442&prmenbr=5806&usrcommgrpid=75044793#

Also, sorry if this is a really stupid question, but can someone tell me what the best (safest) way is to jack up the car while working underneath it to replace the starter? Would it be best to just place two jacks on the frame about 1ft behind each front wheel, then also have the jack lifted up about 1/4" below where the car is sitting on the jacks as a backup? I'm just really concerned about it crushing me while working under it and want to make sure I'm doing the safest thing.

Thanks for everybody's wonderful help! I can't wait to get this baby on the road again! My other vehicle (SUV) drinks gas like it's free (13-15 MPG).


Regards,

Jeff

Diesel starter is an easy affair, 2 bolts plus electrical connections and wrestle it out. Believe the bolt head is 3/4" compatable so you can use a standard socket.
To clear up the confusion Bosch never made a gear reduction starter for the D24 diesel, Hitachi made the starter and was rated at 2.1Kw used ball and roller bearings and did not require a support snout on the end making it easier to change. Its a snappy little motor but doesn't tolerate long crank times, its also a bit more efficient than the old Bosch motor that used bushings and tape wrapped coils. Hitachi is a sealed encapsulated part. The picture shown on the website is NOT the Hitachi gear reduction starter, its a generic Bosch for the B2x gasoline motors. The hitachi has a defined offset look to it along with big mounting ears and lots of space between the motor and solinoid itself. You can fit a finger between them.

Problems you might encounter with getting the wrong diesel starter; bolt length issues, I dont remember if they were diffrent lengths or not but its easily solved as the bolt is a 12MM shank 1.75 thread known as M12X1.75 and the battery positive cable lug end will need to be enlarged slightly with a reamer to fit the larger lug on the motor. This ONLY applies if you have the older style Bosch motor and not the Hitachi, after 1985 all 760 diesels were "supposed" to have the hitachi motor and all the ones Ive seen had them.

If the mechanic claims to have removed the starter and rebuilt it you will find wrench marks on the bolt heads regardless of rust, these will have a contrasting look to virgin rust. Both of my diesels have the hitachi starters and none of the bolts have much if any rust on them, even if he did get the thing out without disturbing the rust you will see rub and small scrape marks around the bolts not to mention greasy fingerprints on battery cables and other places. Its obvious when a part is changed on an engine no matter how careful one is.
Before you shotgun the starter do follow the advice given by the other replies regarding the ground connections, wiring and battery condition. With a starter taking say 2 kilowatt that comes out to 250 amps at 8.0 volts cranking. Any slight resistance will slow things down in a hurry.

To address soldering brushes, do it at your own risk, alot of current passes the junction and along with heat enough to soften the solder. The proper repair is spot weld the flyleads to the copper bus bar using phospher-bronze based silver solder.

The leak you are seeing is the coolant inlet to the engine, someone overtightened the hose and crush cut the rubber. You can trim that back to the cut part using a razor then put the hose back on and fill the engine back up. If your inclined to deal with the arrogant people at Borton be my guest, they see the coffee bar as being more important than helping customers and it makes a great diversion. Wont deal with Borton at all. That lower hose is unique to the D24 engine however one could get creative using 1 1/2 inch copper pipe and soldering elbows to mimmic the hose and use rubber hose itself to couple things together. This however is limited to creative thinking and is outside "the box".

Are you in the Minneapolis/ST.Paul area by chance? Have proper D24 tools and can travel some.

Brandon 988

You dont mention what the problem is - does the starter fail to turn, turn sluggishly, just click etc. The starter motor itself is pretty bullet-proof (may need new brushes in which case you need to have a soldering iron). The solenoid contacts wear down faster (relatively).

I recently cleaned and rebuilt both the starter and the solenoid. Dont expect to take those nuts off those 2 bolts that stick out from the back of the starter: I have 2 starters and both of mine were stuck onto the bolt. Use the correct size wrench and you will find that the bolt (which is as long as the starter) will unthread from the other end and the entire bolt will come out.

Regarding the solenoid - again you will need a soldering iron to remove the contact plate, clean it and reinstall it. My biggest challenge was removing the 2 flat-head screws that hold the solenoid to the starter - you need a very good 3/8 or 1/2 flat-head screwdriver with a perfect tip to pull those 2 suckers out as they are really tight, and using anything less than a good screwdriver tip will mess up their heads and result in them being permanently stuck in there. I replaced them with 2 alan screws.

Oh - before I forget - after all that painstaking rebuilding, I found that it was the grounding wire going from the battery to the engine that was bad :( so check the obvious first. Use one line of a jumper-wire set to ground the starter body (the head of the starter-bolt is a good spot) directly to the -ve post of the battery and then try starting again.

Noel

First, see the 700/900 FAQ (engine: diesel and electrical: starting) for details: the harness may be at fault, not the starter. You should be able to change the starter by yourself with some extensions on your sockets. The rusty bolts may prove to be frustrating, but lots of PBlaster applied a day before and new bolts on reinstall will help.

I have had good luck removing the electrical component (alternator, starter) and taking it to a local electrical shop for rebuild. They are cheap, thorough, and quick. As an alternative, buy a rebuild from a supplier. While mailorder might make sense as cheaper, the local NAPA stores usually supply very high quality stuff (since their primary market is mechanics who DO NOT tolerate comebacks). And they are local with a national warranty.

The hose? Typical leaks. If a local supplier can't get one, buy it from www.borton.com, an internet dealer. Call them: don't trust email. They are 40% off list. Make sure the "little nozzle" is not broken.

I don't know about you, but I don't appreciate shady mechanics or shady businesses. If you can tell that the bolts have never been removed, I'd take it back to the same mechanic and ask him to explain to me how he could have done maintenance on it or replaced it without unbolting it from the casing. Then I'd ask for my money back.