Fitting a new starter motor on an old A class.

[Vince70]

I've just had a phonecall from my girlfriend as her 1.6 petrol 1998 Aclass merc is refusing to start but luckily she has home start with the RAC and the guy has diagnosed the cars starter motor has had it.

 

The car has been fantastic but it's getting tatty and it's done about 130000 miles but it did still run fine beforehand and wondered if anyone knows if it's worth doing as I guess the car is worth around £300 and I hear it's a pig of a job.

 

I was thinking about towing it and seeing if we could get it started on a bump but obviously it wouldn't cure the problem or is it just a scrap it job as I can't see an engine out job being cheap as it looks a pig to work on.

 

So what would you do with a non starting 20 year old Aclass.

[Squire_Dawson]

Park on a hill facing down, of course.

[Kiltox]

Squash it. They’re shit and not in a shite way.

[Noel Tidybeard]

it would seem possible

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w168-class/1647602-replacing-starter-motor-without-dropping-engine.html

[Vince70]

To be honest it's been a very reliable and is a very versatile and a practical car only the other week it did a 700 round trip to Cornwall and back and we didn't even lift the bonnet to check the basics before setting off and they can carry some stuff as I also picked the doors for (rod) the rover up in it.

 

It's been taken to a garage now on the back of the truck but the garage won't do anything to she gives the go ahead for any work but I would be inclined to bump it and keep my fingers crossed it lasts a bit longer.

[panhard65]

They are a bitch to fit but not too bad you just lower the engine down a bit. I fitted one on a customers A150 back in 2015 It came out around £370 all in including a genuine merc starter. I can't remember why I fitted genuine now but it was over £170 plus vat from merc

[twosmoke300]

Ive changed a sump on one those hatefull things - no help to you but it was a right twat of a job

[Guest]

Ive changed a sump on one those hatefull things - no help to you but it was a right twat of a job

I remember the first time I serviced one of these years ago. Took me ages to find the plugs.... after stripping out the airbox and stuff. Doh.

[Vince70]

Thanks for the help again, the little A class has had another reprieve as it was only a broken wire in the end,

The garage said it was a pig of a job to find though but we couldn’t see the old girl bridged for A £150 repair really so she lives again.

[bigfella2]

They are a bitch to fit but not too bad you just lower the engine down a bit. I fitted one on a customers A150 back in 2015 It came out around £370 all in including a genuine merc starter. I can't remember why I fitted genuine now but it was over £170 plus vat from merc

You probably fitted a genuine starter because I believe there are about seven different versions of starter motor and finding the correct one can be difficult to say the least.