Ever since I fitted the Zetec it has never started particularly
reliably. When the engine was first fitted the starter motor
(from my X/flow) died around 6 months later. I replaced
it with a direct replacement and that was fine for starting
the car when it was cold or had been stopped for a short
while. It was, however, still a problem if I tried to restart
a hot engine, say after filling up with fuel.
To try to overcome this I had the starter motor rewound
for 9v by a starter/alternator manufacturer. This definitely
helped to make the engine spin over quicker and it felt
like the starter had more power, but after a number of months
the engine again became harder to start when hot.
A few months after I fitted the rewired starter I got talking
to a fellow club member, Steve Motts, about a geared starter
motor he had heard about and was actively trying to develop
with the manufacturer (i.e. trying to make it fit his car").
I waited a while to allow Steve to get the design perfected
and when my starter got less and less reliable I decided
to take the plunge and bought one. Raceline
were selling them and I collected one one evening (they
left it outside as I was stuck in traffic).
The new unit fitted perfectly and spun the engine over very
easily and quickly compared to any of the earlier starter
motors I had used. I ran the engine up to temperature and
switched off and then immediately tried to start up again
- something which the old starter would have struggled with
- and it started perfectly, spinning as quickly as it had
when it was cold.
Whilst not especially cheap (what is for a 7?) it is an
extremely good product. The value comes, however, from the
knowledge that the car will start after you've filled up
with fuel, if you stall the car, or have to jump out for
a minute and that you won't flatten the lightweight battery
if you try to many times. Peace of mind - you can't put
a price on it sometimes.
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New (right) vs
Old (left)
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Front View
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Connector View
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Fitted - Close
to Pipes
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