The V8 in my Fisher Fury is reluctant to start, the starter motor which originated on a 1984 Rover SD1 struggles to spin the engine with any true
vigour so I thought I'd treat it to a new geared hi-torque motor. After getting the front jacked up and on stands I remembered how much I hate
working under cars, verging on a phobia; but my shiny new motor isn't going to fit itself so I must crack on. Clutch slave cylinder is in the
way so I take that off and get filthy as my car isn't exactly oil tight. I like to think of it as an automatic corrosion inhibitor system. In
order to actually get to the bolts holding the motor in, I need three extensions on the socket to get past the exhaust headers. Of course the bolt
that is hardest to access is also a cap head bolt so I cut down a 5/16th allen key, fit that into a socket and then into the bolt.
The motor drops free and hits a chassis rail. In front of it is an engine mount. It is between the engine and the exhaust headers. It is caged.
Bugger. It's at this point that I remember that the last time I fiddled with the starter, the engine wasn't in the car. I think if I drop
the sump I may be able to wiggle it out, but I'm not looking forward to that or fighting with several kilos of filthy starter motor inches above
my face. I bet the new one isn't going to fit either. It's times like this that I envy people who fit bike engines to these cars as the
access must be insanely easy.
[Edited on 22/4/17 by scudderfish]
Many tintops have similar issues, often with much more trivial parts. Headlight bulbs on certain hatchbacks come to mind...
I looked into a random replacement for my Saab, just for the hell of it I had a look what is required to change a water pump. You basically remove
everything from the back of the engine (mainly the turbo and all the other bits), then everything from the right hand side too. And I think the manual
even says that the engine needs to be lifted an inch or two to get the clearance!
To change the starter motor, first remove the car from the starter motor
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
Many tintops have similar issues, often with much more trivial parts. Headlight bulbs on certain hatchbacks come to mind...
I looked into a random replacement for my Saab, just for the hell of it I had a look what is required to change a water pump. You basically remove everything from the back of the engine (mainly the turbo and all the other bits), then everything from the right hand side too. And I think the manual even says that the engine needs to be lifted an inch or two to get the clearance!
quote:
Originally posted by scudderfish
To change the starter motor, first remove the car from the starter motor