starter motor removal

[alpha70]

I just finished replacing my engine only to find that while sitting idle the starter motor has decided to die! Now I try to remove the starter and can't get enough leverage on the top bolt! Seems the only way to get onto it properly will be to move the motor down & forward.....good thing I don't have it in a workshop paying for all this labour! All I'll say is that there are way too many things on this vehicle which suggest absolutely no thought was put into repairing the van down the track....already "been there & done that" replacing the clutch slave cylinder....yep engine out!....found that engine removal couldn't be made more difficult....ultimately the engineering on this car is a joke....maybe the engineers should be made to repair their product. I've worked on cars, vans & motorbikes and this is by far the most unfriendly vehicle I've ever had the misfortune to own. Ford workshops must love them, I hate them....if this is the standard of vehicle being produced it's a sad indictment on the Ford!

[ake]

I just finished replacing my engine only to find that while sitting idle the starter motor has decided to die! Now I try to remove the starter and can't get enough leverage on the top bolt! Seems the only way to get onto it properly will be to move the motor down & forward.....good thing I don't have it in a workshop paying for all this labour! All I'll say is that there are way too many things on this vehicle which suggest absolutely no thought was put into repairing the van down the track....already "been there & done that" replacing the clutch slave cylinder....yep engine out!....found that engine removal couldn't be made more difficult....ultimately the engineering on this car is a joke....maybe the engineers should be made to repair their product. I've worked on cars, vans & motorbikes and this is by far the most unfriendly vehicle I've ever had the misfortune to own. Ford workshops must love them, I hate them....if this is the standard of vehicle being produced it's a sad indictment on the Ford!

It's not just Ford!
All vehicles are built like this now, quite simply because your not supposed to repair them.

[alpha70]

I agree 100%! it doesn't make it right though....manufacturers quest for cheaper build costs actually costs the consumer a fortune down the track. The engineers "problem solve" to get one engine family to fit a number of different makes & models but the only problems they solve are their own. And in doing so create a lot for us.....poor engineering overall!

[MrFlibble]

Plus, there's also the continual drive to put more and more functionality (aircon, power steering, turbochargers, EGR, etc. etc.) in, whilst also maximising interior cabin space, but without increasing the overall vehicle size.

The dealers' garages may have special tools for reaching in to the spaces, but that's uneconomic for home mechanics and non-specialist garages. However, that's not their problem, as you should be having it serviced at a main dealer anyway...

[pwhooftman]

is this for a mk6 RWD?

Because when i replaced my starter last year it was a breeze (access from underneath)

[qwerty1234]

Hello All

The 13mm solenoid pole nut is turning but i think the pole must be spinning inside as the nut never moves up the thread.

Any advice on how to get cables off other than hack sawing through the pole?

Cheers Paul