Gustafson Starter

I have read many, many threads about starter options dating back to 2010. There seemed to be a consensus that the gear reduction Gustafson starter was an excellent choice for a 3.2 V8. Is this still the general consensus?
BTW: is Ferrari starters.com the only outlet for buying such a starter?
Thanks!

 

I got one on my 308. Works great. Knock on wood.

I think they sell them on ebay too. Maybe a couple of bucks cheaper?

 

Lifetime warrantee, lighter, easy to install, as reliable as a Honda starter and will never leave you stranded. They're a no brainer. Awesome upgrade.

 

I installed one on my 84 308 QV in May, after my original starter siezed up - I wrote about it in this thread, with a few pictures: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/308-328/447195-starter-problem-84-qv.html

The eBay seller is britishperformanceparts , same outfit as www.ferraristarters.com/308 . Highly recommended!!!

 

On the other hand, the standard starter is just a Bosch unit is very cheap and simple to rebuild as long as its not melted & the casing is not damaged (it just has standard Bosch internals).

 

The standard unit works fine, when it works. For some reason some of them are affected by heat at random. Yes, they can be rebuilt but for maybe double the price a person can get the last starter they will ever have to buy for the thing.

 

Not my best pictures but you can clearly see the weight difference too.

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Well, that was kind of the point, when I had mine rebuilt a couple of years ago it was maybe $80-100. A Gustafson is $400 plus is it not?

Another thing here is that there have been many discussions about starting issues on these cars (I have one myself at the moment) which turn out to be nothing to do with the starter.

The solenoid circuit is long & tortuous & goes through several different connectors . If the OP has a starting problem then, depending on the symptoms, it may be the solenoid circuit that is what requires attention rather than the starter itself.

 

+1

The solenoid often needs more voltage for it to actuate properly when its hot so any voltage loss in the wiring appears as a heat-related problem.

On the subject of geared starters though, I dont think there is any reason to pay $400. I have a Powerlite on my Lotus which looks identical and it cost 160 GBP. I suspect there is one factory churning these out and they are re-badged by various resellers.

 

Standard starter for the 3,2 litre engine is Bosch 0 001 110 004.
Internal parts are also available separately if needed (I still have their references somewhere)
Solenoïd is 2 339 303 286

Rgds

 

Thanks for all your good advice!

 

The difference for these for Ferrari's is in the bolting pattern for specifically the 3 mounting bolts. That part is indeed very custom, the rest is just a standard Chevy throw out gear though.

 

This is probably only of any use if in the UK:

Ferrari 308

 

Gustafson Starters have a great warrantee and are no doubt great starters. They look a bit crude though - the ears and drive end of the casing are machined off and a new mounting plate is attached.

Hi-Torque brand starters look better. They start with a new Denso starter and replace the drive end of the casing with a new cast unit and a new mounting plate is attached. Just looks more finished. I see them advertised on eBay now also. Some units have motors will a lower kW rating than Gustafsun. Only have a one year warranty.

Does anyone here have experience with Hi-Torque?