Replacing Starter on '92 Wolfie Cabby

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TDubs
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2015 12:28 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: Yes

Replacing Starter on '92 Wolfie Cabby

Post by TDubs »

Hi guys,

I've lurked around here in the past. I purchased a black 1992 Wolfsburg Cabriolet a couple of years ago. It's a gas engine with the manual transmission.

After driving it for a while, the starter is shot. A previous owner had replaced the original with a junk yard swap as I can see the lead marker ID on the starter body.

I've changed many starters in old Triumph's and MG's in the past but never on a Cabby. Those old Triumphs had so much open real estate in the engine compartment. They were a joy to work on.

I have the Bentley book and Poor Richard's Rabbit Book. The Bentley book is sparse when it comes to starter replacement. Poor Richard's is a little better however it doesn't cover all of the other stuff cluttering the real estate when trying to remove the starter and what to remove in order to get to it.

I have the front end up on jack stands and have located the upper and lower nuts and bolts that hold the starter in place. There was a third nut and bolt that hold a hose hanger in place. That was easy to remove. The starter bolts themselves are a real pain to access with my wrenches. I've applied Liquid Wrench to both of them in the hope that it will help me to remove the bolts.

Does anyone have any secrets or tips on how to do this faster? Should I put a jack under the motor or tranny to relieve weight against the starter?

Thanks for any advice,
Terry
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Briano1234
Whats that smell?
Posts: 4105
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 5:45 am
What year is your cabby?: 1992
Do you own a Cabriolet?: No
Location: Duluth, Ga
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Re: Replacing Starter on '92 Wolfie Cabby

Post by Briano1234 »

Yep, a couple.

The starter on the manual holds the front mounting brace for the engine. so you have to take the weight off by slightly jacking the engine using a jack and a block of wood under the pan. This will remove the iron bind that you are probably getting to.

One of the bolts and there are 3 IIRC as it has been a while for me on a manual, as I rock autos now.
one of the bolts has a nut on the engine side, one screws in to the starter bracket and one bolts through to the block....

The kicker is to take the mount lose on the 2 19mm bolts at the front Valance.
You may need a breaker bar if they have been on a while, and use 6pt sockets.

You may want to but a bushing as they do wear out.....

The trick is to take the engine weight off the bracket, as you are "iron binding".
Briano

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