Starter Woes?

[scott]

given the auto-oiler our low humidity and never any salt on our winter roads i figure my iia will rattle apart before it rusts apart

[Tim Smith]

Start with easy stuff, check the battery posts/connections. Are they clean and solid. Look for corrosion. Make sure all ground straps are the same. Have had a battery cable corrode inside the insulation that caused a similar problem. Cable looked fine but when you grabbed it the insulation just collapsed in your hand, all the wire inside was basically gone. I've also run extra ground straps (my truck has had a + to - conversion done) from the battery to the frame, engine to frame, body to frame, distributor to frame. I went thru a period where it seemed all my gremlins were electrical. Maybe overkill and ground straps by themselves didn't solve my gremlins but I haven't had any problems (just cursed myself didn't I?) since fixing my distributor ground problem. Maybe it's something as simple as this.

Jeff

Jeff,
In order to get this back on track... or maybe to make myself feel better about the hijack...

Have you ever noticed corrosion on the body to frame connections? How long have they been in place?

You know that steel and aluminum are of different chemical bonds/electrical behavior, right? Is there any corrosion showing yet? Keep an eye on it.

Cheers,
Tim

[LandRoverRo]

Jeff,
In order to get this back on track... or maybe to make myself feel better about the hijack...

Have you ever noticed corrosion on the body to frame connections? How long have they been in place?

You know that steel and aluminum are of different chemical bonds/electrical behavior, right? Is there any corrosion showing yet? Keep an eye on it.

Cheers,
Tim

Thanks. I'm as guilty as anyone for deviating from the orginal subject. I've had the starter stripped and they (the shop) found a cracked brush. They can't find the appropriate replacement parts for it so i'm stuck with having to find a new starter. i've tried a bunch of places and Rovers North actually has one (at a decent price) but I'm going to use my contacts in the U.K. to try to find the parts I need to have mine rebuilt. I might be penny-pinching but hey, that's how I am.
I am fortunate that my car was rebuilt 2 years ago (minus any body work) and everything is super clean and pretty much corrosion-free (except doors). All connections look very good.
My wife makes fun of me for loving Land Rovers so much and sometimes I wonder why I do. The Land Rover community is what keeps me hooked.
Thank goodness for enthusiasts.

[badvibes]

Jeff,
In order to get this back on track... or maybe to make myself feel better about the hijack...

Have you ever noticed corrosion on the body to frame connections? How long have they been in place?

You know that steel and aluminum are of different chemical bonds/electrical behavior, right? Is there any corrosion showing yet? Keep an eye on it.

Cheers,
Tim

Tim-
The area I've noticed any corrosion that I feel is due to the difference in metals is at the rear of the truck where the steel body mounts from the rear crossmember are bolted to the aluminum body. Not anything I'd call "bad" but the lower edge of the aluminum is not smooth, kind of "roughened" if you look at it closely. With a 40+ year old truck I'm thinking the corrosion due to disimilar metals is not going to be a major issue during my lifetime. As for the ground straps I ran, neg battery post to frame, engine to frame, frame to distributor body, and body to frame I don't recall anything at all for corrosion. They've been in place for a couple of years now, I've owned the truck for @ 8 years. I will keep an eye out though...
Has this been a serious problem that you know of? I just love learning about all these "unique" benefits and features of Rover ownership.

Jeff

[scott]

i guess if anyone should apologize for deviating it is i the deviate. i too love the rove and appriceate the seriously deep pool of knowlege that forms when those who turn their own wrenches get together

[Tim Smith]

Has this been a serious problem that you know of?

Sure it has. Thats why you see a lot of door frames falling apart. This is just one example and there are many more.

If you truck was put together properly, you should have a rubber (or some sort of inert material) grommet fitting between the steel tabs and your aluminum tub where it is bolted together. If not then you should start to see white powdery stuff and/or rust where the aluminum and steel is touching. Thats due the the steel and aluminum fighting each other. Usually the steel looses first.

The white powder is the aluminum oxidizing so don't let any one tell you that aluminum lasts forever.

I just love learning about all these "unique" benefits and features of Rover ownership.

Jeff

Yeah these old trucks are great! Not only is there always something new to learn but there is always something to look at and day-dream about too.


Cheers,
Tim

[LandRoverRo]

One brush cracked (in half) and bushings and roller bearing worn in my faulty starter.
Found a new (aftermarket) starter at Rovers Down South for $175. My choice is this, a new LR one from Rovers North for $400 or a Mean Green for $349.
I'm going cheap. Might be a mistake, but it's cheap.
Thanks for everyone's help.