Screeching Starter

[Steve P]

We have the infamous screeching starter on our 2.3 Mk1. It has done it intermittently for about 4 years!!! Well in the last few months it has done it probably every other time we start the car - so I guess I ought to fix it . Last time the car was in for service (at an independant) I was told to expect a bill for about

[Guest HairyPlateEater]

Hi Steve - welcome to the forum!

 

Is it definately the starter motor or could it be that the aux belt and tensioner need replacing like mine?

 

IIRC general census is that if it screeches while turning the key it is the starter, but if it screeches for a little while after letting go of the key, it's the aux belt.

 

2.3 has automatic tensioning so can't be adjusted manually unfortunately to slightly tighten the belt.

 

Best of luck with all your fixes ..... most of us have been there too! B)

[soptom]

I've just done the aux belt and tensioner on our 2.0, but did the starter motor a while back. Both are straightforward. It was a short term fix when I cleaned and greased the starter motor, one from a breakers cured our troubles.

[Steve P]

Definitely the starter - it makes this awful noise for about one second after the engine fires up. The noise is well loud enough to wake the neighbours.

 

We have a drive belt problem as well (LOL) which lasts much longer - 5 or 10 minutes. I'll look into that after I've fixed the starter!!!.

 

I've found I have very little time nowdays - kids and self employed - so I gave up sourcing bits from the breakers in my youth - even the internet breakers tend not to come up with the goods too often for these beasties. Took two years to spot a rad grille on ebay for the MK1 on ebay after somebody swiped the trim off ours.

 

Anyway - unless someone wants to disagree with soptom I think I'll get a recon starter from that chap on EBAY that does them for every make and model - about

[Guest rambo]

if it screeches when the engine is turning over then its the starter motor if it screeches and does not turn over it is the flywheel missing some teeth

[soptom]

if it screeches when the engine is turning over then its the starter motor if it screeches and does not turn over it is the flywheel missing some teeth

Not always, look back to my starter motor posts and check our problem. We had screeching and not turning over the engine, I thought it may be missing flywheel teeth but as I say, a breakers starter motor fixed it.

[Dave-G]

This sounds like a bendix problem rather than the motor itself. However I'm also thinking that what was freely available and fixable by mere mortals 30 years ago is no longer available... so a new motor it would be?

 

Any oldies comment on this? B)

[broom broom]

My starter motor does the exact same thing :lol: but i just put up with it mines has had a new starter motor fitted for the exact same problem but it came back after a while so am just gonna put up with it -_-

[johnkg]

Mines been doing it for the last five and half years!

[teresa]

yeah mine is also making this noise was told its a dry bendix????

[Vanbursta]

It's most likely to be the bendix, what happens is that the dust from the clutch / flywheel gets stuck on the sliding cog and then causes the starter to screech as it is thrown forward with the momentum, best way to cure it is to take the starter off and clean the bendix / shaft with petrol then use a SMALL amount of silicone grease on the shaft, if there is any wear in the shaft you have to replace the whole motor (or be prepared to go through the whole procedure once evry 6 months or so). Also it doesn't happen as much with an automatic as there is much less dirt in the bellhousing (although wear can cause the same thing even on an auto).