Hey guys , I have a 1981 308 2Vi I'm going to change my starter motor soon. I've got the starter and I know I have to loosen the front headers to get the starters out and back in. I am going to purchase a set of new exhaust header gaskets of course .. The gaskets are the Super performance #20377 listed on this page http://www.superformance.co.uk/a-308/exhausts.htm ............My question is .... is this all the parts ( 4 of them) I need to purchase to refit the headers ??
Unless you run the headers uncorked... you'll probably want at least one new exhaust donut for the junction between the header and the first downstream connection. Rick
Are u sure u have to loose the header to do that? I definitely have not had to do that on my car but no front heat shield ... maybe someone else can weigh in ... that's a PITA.
I was wondring if seperating the starter soleniod from the main part of the starter would make it small enough to remove it without removing the headers ......... that would be nice ! ..........any ideas ?
Ok , so that would be the jiont at the right of the engine ....... maybe I better get some bolts and nuts for the flange there. Thanks man !
I seem to recall pulling it thru an opening once you remove the driver's side wheel well .. as opposed to going straight down. I rebuilt my factory starter "a few times" so I had it on and off a few times really easily ... now I've got the lightweight ones. hth cheers
Great minds think alike mate I'm pulling out the original and installing a new lightweight one. I have a well equiped machine shop so I will fully overhaul the original and put it on the shelf. I never refer to old car parts as "spares" unless they are 100% ready to go. Will an original 308 starter fit other models ?? ......Will it fit a Testarossa ??
Hey dude I didn't notice you're in Aus when I posted before ... passenger side wheel well in your case ... since you're on the "wrong side" . Don't know what else they fit but I figure one day concourse will be won or lost based on this detail so money in the bank ... I remember stories about muscle car restorations that were so perfect the only way they could seperate who won was how much grease was left on the grease nipples ... guy won that still had grease on the grease nipples 'cause that was more representative of the factory ... guess that means any welding on the 308's needs to be done without gas shield to keep the factory appearance ... got off track sorry . cheers
I did get around to installing my lightweight starter motor ............. I have a warning for others to check their starter mounting bolt holes. I found mine to be mis-machined. Have a look at the close up of the photos of the bolt holes. I got into the process of removing the old starter and by afternoon I was ready to pop the new one in. Finding threads like this when you have the original starter out is not the best time. I really should have checked it before then because it had been sitting around for months. I'm lucky enough to be able to machine up a (rough) replacement with correct "full" threads and a longer lead / locator. I've done all my swearing about it and no need to scream at the manufacturer, chances are its a one off fault cause I haven't heard of this problem from others. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
ooooooooohhhhhhh , completely forgot to say. I was able to remove my starter out through the wheel well without removing the header pipes. It does take a bit of turning around and and a bit of a pull but it does come out. When you connect the wires to the new starter dont have it bolted in place ,,, feed the starter in to just below where it belongs and connect the 3 big wires , dont tighten the securing nut completely ....... THEN turn , align the motor and slide it into place. Tighten the electrical connector nut after bolting the motor firmly in place. The small electrical connector with its rectangular plastic body may need the corners filed off so it will fit inside the round connector housing too.
Did you have a heat shield on your front header? I'm just curious if the advice about removing the front header applies to some cars ... or is it just bogus?
My car does have a heat shield over the front header , there is 4 small bolts holding it on. The bottom bolts are very easy to access. Just undo the mounting bolts and slide the heat shield to the right side of the car , no need to remove it completely for a starter replacement. The top bolts appear harder to access than they are. What makes the top bolts a bit more tricky to install is the huge (at least 1.5" dia.) washers that sandwich over the heat shield. Fortunately mine released easily , I'd put some moly grease on them at re-installation. There is also the heat shield over the starter motor itself. This heat shield is held on by 3 bolts. The one at the bottom is dead easy to get to , , the top 2 are tricky , , these nuts also hold the exhaust header on. You will need a good selection of 1/2" socket extensions and a universal joint to suit. The inner bolt on the top of the starter heat shield is the hardest to locate. Getting the right length socket extension in there is crucial. Another thing to watch is the size of nuts and bolts under there , , although all threads are metric many of the bolts took a 1/2" AF socket to drive them. I thought they would be 13mm, but that socket size is a bit loose ........ 1/2" fitted perfectly !
If anyone was wondering about the new starter motor issue I can assure you the seller contacted me when he heard about the problem. He offered to replace the part immediately ...... I consider this very good customer service so I wouldn't hesitate to deal with him again. I have also spoken to Mark from Enzotech who uses these same starters and he has always found the items to be good quality and has had no problems.
