My pile of new parts continues to grow smaller and I'm really glad I got this one in before it got cold and the old starter died. I swapped my old Lucas starter for one of The Driven Man's gear reduction starters. http://www.thedrivenman.com/Jaguar/Starters.htm

TDM's starter is about 1/2 the weight of the Lucas one which was really nice when it was time to put it back in. It also seems to have an easier time spinning the motor.

Things I noticed :
1. Go ahead and pull the battery for this job. You'll need the extra room.
2. Disconnect the battery cable from the firewall and the pin on the starter solenoid. I chose to feed those 2 wires down and out with the starter vs trying to remove them from the starter and get them back on the new starter after it was installed.
3. For this starter you'll need to swap out the end on the solenoid wire. The old one bolted on where the new one needs a female blade connector. Much easier with the wires out of the Jag.
4. For TDM's starter you will need some nylock lock nuts for the factory bolts. They are 3/8 nuts that you should be able to pick up locally. The new starter does not have the threaded holes like the old one. You'll need to thru bolt it and use the lock nuts.

As with the alt replacement the biggest pain with this job is not having enough room to work with. The bolts on the starter are 9/16 and you will probably want to have 2 if you are going with TDM's starter. Another usefull tool I had was a Husky socket wrench that has a swivel head and an extendable handle. This one has a smaller head that my old socket wench and fit the space better. There was not enough clearance for me to use my ratcheting wrenches. Being able to adjust the angle of the handle made the lower bolt easier to get out and the extended handle was needed for the extra leverage to get the bolts started out.

While you are there, go ahead and hit all the ends of the cables connected at the firewall with a wire brush and make them shiny again.

Oh, and be careful with the vacuum lines near the starter....20+ year old plastic T's can be brittle....

All in all this is a job that is dooable by your average owner. If you are going with a factory starter you might need a 2nd set of hands to get the replacement in position and the bolts started. TDM's was light enough for me to grab from the top and get the bolts on. I guess patients is needed the most because the starter bolts are a pain to get to and you have very little room to swing a socket wrench.

 

Very good write-up, IMHO. I hope it's Ok if I add one little tidbit....


I suggest removing the oil pressure sending unit before removing the starter. If the starter gets away from you as you jockey it around it could fall forward and break the sending unit. If that happens you're tied up waiting for and new unit ...not to mention the hassle of removing the broken stem of the old one.

Cheers
DD

 

No problem! Having the 2 wires still attached to the starter helps keep it from free falling.

 

There ya go ! :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Is this an issue with my '76 XJ12L also? Should I be looking at starter replacement before I get it back on the road. I have a long list of items to get done at this point. She's been parked since '95 when the tanks were sugared. I did get the injectors rebuilt and the fuel system clear enough to get her running. I have yet to install replacement tanks. Working outside is a handicap.

Do you have a suggested list of items to go through?

Thanks,
John
Portland, Oregon

 

John, replacing a starter on a V12 is an entirely different and much more difficult kettle of fish.

Best to start a new thread on that one, IMHO

Cheers
DD

 

I got a Series 3 Daimler V12 and I removed successfully the 14mm 9/16 inch bolts that surround/attach to the engine.
Removing the last bolt is on the right hand side of the motor where the starter motor remains is a pain in the butt..
I asked some questions locally and it is confirmed when I felt the head of the bolt to be a Torx arrangement.
It appears to have a allen key head inside the bolt head and serattions outside.
It appears that the engineers at British Leyland got this thing WRONG BIG TIME!
Removing or dismantling should be easy for the average home mechanic.
I got set(cheap set of TORX sockets) and will make a attempt tomorrow to see if I crack this bolt and remove it from the starter motor.
Hopefully this should happen and I can remove the starter motor from the engine and actually split the GM400 from the engine and remove the motor with a engine hoist.

 

Are you referring to the upper starter bolt? Those take a 12-point socket. I wonder if someone has already been there on your car and changed the bolt?

Whatever you do, make darn sure of what you've got. If you round-off the bolt you'll be sunk !

In my experience, using a couple long extensions...maybe 36" total.....allows a shallow enough angle of attack and you'll be able to get a good purchase on the bolt.

Good luck.

Cheers
DD

 

Very cool post - Thanks. I am planning on replacing my starter with this style at some point in the near future.

 

Just changed my starter not too long ago and was having a hell of a time getting those damn bolts out. 1 week of soaking the bolts with Liquid Wrench and POP they came out easy peasy lemon squeezy.

 

oh and I used two universal joints and two extensions with a 120psi air wrench

 

Thanks Doug.

I have made a few enquires and some of the responses are as follows-
!.One well know dismantler in Australia suggested all the bolts are 9/16 inch surrounding the bellhousing which is definitely WRONG.
2.A second dismantler said it was a TORX bolt which I again disagree.

I used a mirror and illuminated the area and it seems that the bolt has a hole in the centre and has perhaps four sides.
I can see that it has one definite side perhaps 7/16 inch as claimed elsewhere when removing this DARN BOLT

Snap on tools does manufacture a long tube four sided socket which could be used if the wall is thin

I have read elsewhere or I on this forum when replacing a starter motor on a XJS you need a 12 point 3/8 Drive 7/16 universal socket or in the trade language called a SWIVEL to get to that ODD BALL bolt that British Leyland installed back in the 70's.

Doug you made the suggestion that some one would have changed the top bolt which I would doubt.

It is consistent that this bolt has not changed and it is the first that it is coming out.

I have read elsewhere or on this forim that the bulk head should be "butchered" so as to get at the bolt.

If the bolt cannot be removed then the engine and gearbox should be removed in situ to get to that bolt as I am dismantling the Cat.


If the engine or starter motor was removed I would have modified the bolt head so as this problem would arise agoain.

I am heading to my local tool shop to buy this SWIVEL. I will try anything!

 

Further to my previous thread I wish to advise to all V12 owners in this forum that acquiring the 7/16, 12 sided, 3/8 drive shallow socket and coupled to three swivel type extension bars and with a breaker extension bar the DARN TOP STARTER BOLT was successfully removed.

Detailed photos can be obtained by referring to this website-bernardembden.com/xjs/starter and the topic is Installing a Gear Reduction Starter in a XJS V!2.

I have attached two photos showing the socket and the offensive 12 sided serrated (Torx) starter bolt for the community to see.

 

Good work !




Just FYI, a 12-point socket and a Torx socket are two different things :-)

Cheers
DD