How long does it take to change the starter motor on an 03 Multipla JTD? Any pifalls to look out for?
First thing in the morning the starter churns away slowly and I sometimes think it will stop - after it's got its act together and actually started it's fine and subsequent starts are fine too. I ran a direct earth from battery to engine to check for earth strap problem but that made no difference, battery was new a year ago so I think there must be a starter issue - unless someone can suggest anything else?

Look at the rating on your battery.
I cant remember exact figures but my multipla came with a low cranking amps battery and it was like yours...think it was 330 amps or something...replaced it with a 600 amp and it made a huge dfference.
The battery compartment on the multi is small so often a small amp rating battery more suited a to a petrol engine may have found its way under your bonnet...worth a check before you go stripping.
Marty.

My car (also a 2003) has done that for the last 7 years. Always started though.

dudleian said:

How long does it take to change the starter motor on an 03 Multipla JTD? Any pifalls to look out for?
First thing in the morning the starter churns away slowly and I sometimes think it will stop - after it's got its act together and actually started it's fine and subsequent starts are fine too. I ran a direct earth from battery to engine to check for earth strap problem but that made no difference, battery was new a year ago so I think there must be a starter issue - unless someone can suggest anything else?

Click to expand...

Not as many posts about this as I expected, but most of them suggest "it is a pig of a job" (not my words). I changed mine today as I had similar symptoms - churning away for several seconds, halting for a split second sometimes, and then just barely getting started. I had the glow plug warning too, which I addressed first with new plugs on 1 & 2, but the starting was still a struggle. Having the bonnet open and firing up, I noticed how clunky the starter motor sounded, so I thought "what the heck - only £60 on ebay for remanufactured unit".

As it turned out, not a bad job at all. Most of the work is underneath, but undoing the top 2 bolts is easier from topside after removing the battery. Others have posted about needing 3 different tool combinations to do the 3 bolts, but I managed very nicely with a 13mm ratchet spanner. I'm 183 cm tall with non-orangutang arms, and it would have been even easier if I had undone the top 2 before jacking the car up.

My ratchet spanner has a flexible head, which was actually a hindrance with this job working one handed, it had a habit of bending away from straight if I lost my concentration.

Worst part was undoing the electrical connections as you have to use sockets, but a 1/2 inch one and small extension bar seemed to work OK.

Motor drops very nicely through the gap where the exhaust curves.

Only glitch was I only connected the battery cable to the main terminal, and forgot the main alternator cable links in there too. Started up to be greeted by "ALTRNATOR (sic) FAILURE - CONTACT GARAGE". Wonder how long the battery would have lasted?

90 minutes all in, and the weather was not playing nice so I reckon I could do it in an hour next time.

Remember the end of "Streets of San Francisco?" Always a little bit at the end?

Beware of shoving the coiled pipe from the steering pump around when fitting. I moved mine into contact with the ARB, and have had months of intermittent clunky rattling that I just solved this evening.