Changing starter motor on Corsa C
levans
at replacing it.
Has anybody done this/a similar replacement and if so, what's the best
way to get at the starter motor itself? I can't figure out if it'll be
easier to approach it from above or below as there seems to be loads
of stuff in the way whichever way I look at it.
Any help or advice appreciated.
Mrcheerful
IIRC the starter is at the back and the only way to access it is from
underneath. IIRC there is a bracket that gets in the way, but it can either
be bent or removed to let the starter out. Once the car is on a lift or
even just up on ramps it all becomes clear and isn't that awful a job.
levans
> levans wrote:
>
> IIRC the starter is at the back and the only way to access it is from
> underneath. IIRC there is a bracket that gets in the way, but it can either
> be bent or removed to let the starter out. Once the car is on a lift or
> even just up on ramps it all becomes clear and isn't that awful a job.
Yeah you're right- it's right at the back of the engine and towards
the bottom.
That sounds promising. I don't have access to a lift but I do have a
high-lift jack so maybe it won't be as bad as it looks.
I'll get underneath it tomorrow ad have a proper look.
Thanks for the reply.
Chris Whelan
[...]
> That sounds promising. I don't have access to a lift but I do have a
> high-lift jack so maybe it won't be as bad as it looks. I'll get
> underneath it tomorrow ad have a proper look.
Please reassure us that you will support the car properly on axle stands
before you get under it...
Chris
--
Remove prejudice to reply.
levans
wrote:
I'm pretty paranoid these days after a few near misses working on cars
in my teens, so these days it's axle stands *and* big blocks of wood :)
Chris Whelan
> On Jun 21, 9:49 pm, Chris Whelan <cawhe...@prejudicentlworld.com> wrote:
>> On Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:43:45 -0700, levans wrote:
>>
>> [...]
>>
>> > That sounds promising. I don't have access to a lift but I do have a
>> > high-lift jack so maybe it won't be as bad as it looks. I'll get
>> > underneath it tomorrow ad have a proper look.
>>
>> Please reassure us that you will support the car properly on axle
>> stands before you get under it...
>>
>> Chris
>
> I'm pretty paranoid these days after a few near misses working on cars
> in my teens, so these days it's axle stands *and* big blocks of wood :)
Glad to hear it, and I hope you don't feel insulted.
I once had the rear wheels of a RWD car on ramps. I was removing the prop
shaft prior to a clutch change. The handbrake didn't hold, and I hadn't
chocked the front wheels...
My torso was in front of one wheel; as it rolled down the ramp, I had the
presence of mind to roll along until the car stopped, and I could shout
for help.
I had some pretty impressive bruises, and a greater sense of the dangers
working on a car can present.
Mrcheerful
I have just remembered that the one I changed was on a LHD car on holiday
here from belgium, so you will probably have even less room to work than I
did :( good luck with that one. At the time I got a genuine starter which
IIRC was about 130 quid. I could have had the old one rebuilt, but the
ferry was going the next morning !
Mrcheerful
not as close as when I was changing the chassis on a LWB land rover. I had
put all the bits in the back as I dismantled it, the body was on the lift
and I was between the body and the chassis, there was a sort of creak and a
crash, I was hit on the head by the air filter assembly that I had left in
the engine bay above me and the entire body had fallen backwards off the
lift, happily the arms kept the body from then descending onto my head.
That must be the closest I have been to being killed in my own garage. I
take more care with weight distribution since ! The other one that was
rather nasty was when I was working on an Ambassador, the bonnet slammed
itself with my hand in the opening near the hinges. and of course the
bonnet was now locked down with my hand feeling very broken. I managed to
raise the edge with my other hand and was planning how to get to hospital
the quickest, but incredibly nothing was broken or bleeding, just some nasty
bruising. oh yes, another good one: I was repairing the wipers on
something and tested the whole lot on the bench, it turned and trapped my
fingers quite nastily.
Chris Whelan
[...]
> not as close as when I was changing the chassis on a LWB land rover. I
> had put all the bits in the back as I dismantled it, the body was on the
> lift and I was between the body and the chassis, there was a sort of
> creak and a crash, I was hit on the head by the air filter assembly that
> I had left in the engine bay above me and the entire body had fallen
> backwards off the lift, happily the arms kept the body from then
> descending onto my head. That must be the closest I have been to being
> killed in my own garage. I take more care with weight distribution
> since ! The other one that was rather nasty was when I was working on
> an Ambassador, the bonnet slammed itself with my hand in the opening
> near the hinges. and of course the bonnet was now locked down with my
> hand feeling very broken. I managed to raise the edge with my other
> hand and was planning how to get to hospital the quickest, but
> incredibly nothing was broken or bleeding, just some nasty bruising. oh
> yes, another good one: I was repairing the wipers on something and
> tested the whole lot on the bench, it turned and trapped my fingers
> quite nastily.
It's scary how many ways there are to injure yourself!
Mrcheerful
and compared to many mechanics I am quite careful!! When I was banger
racing I got talking to a guy with his arm in a sling, he had been using an
air chisel when it got away somehow, tore into his arm and ripped away in
there, the diagnosis was that he was not likely to get more than partial use
back, tragic especially as was only early 20's, but he said the incident was
his own fault, so it must be even worse mentally.
levans
Some grim-sounding near misses there. Mine happened when the seal on a
trolley jack went, but thankfully it lowered the car so slowly that I
had plenty of time to get out from under it. Certainly made me think
though.
So it'll be more awkward to swap the starter on a RHD Corsa then? I'll
have chance to get under it tonight for a proper look, but at least
now I know which angle to tackle it from.
Mrcheerful
I would guess so, because the steering rack and end of the column will be on
the side where you are working. cross fingers.
levans
> I would guess so, because the steering rack and end of the column will be on
> the side where you are working. cross fingers.
You were right. I had a proper look at it tonight and haven't a clue
how to get to it without removing the steering rack, and I couldn't
figure out how that comes apart. It looks like I'd have to remove the
front subframe to get to that, and even then I'm not sure it'd be
accessible.
Duncan Wood
wrote:
Remove the alternator & inlet manifold? (That's a vague guess from when I
last had the misfortune to look under a Corsa bonnet)
--
Duncan Wood
levans
> last had the misfortune to look under a Corsa bonnet)
>
> --
> Duncan Wood
Was it a Corsa C you looked at or an older one? On mine, the
alternator is over the other side.
If I could somehow remove the oil filter housing it'd help, but it
looks like it's cast as part of the block.
Chris Whelan
Mrcheerful
I had to change a rack on a corsa c recently and had to lower the
crossmember to do it, it was not fiendishly difficult.
levans
> I had to change a rack on a corsa c recently and had to lower the
> crossmember to do it, it was not fiendishly difficult.
Thanks Chris, I'll give that forum a try.
Mrcheerful- am I likely to be able to get the clearance needed using
just a trolley jack, or will I need to get it on a lift?
I had it jacked up as far as I could last night but still didn't seem
to have a great deal of room.
Mrcheerful
I changed the starter on the lhd one just up on ramps, but the rack change
was done on a lift, it would be very difficult to lower the crossmember and
still get underneath, unless you get both ends off the ground.
Matthew.Ridges
"levans" <leone...@googlemail.com> wrote in message
news:40e3f5df-1193-429e...@e5g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
Thanks for the reply.
And kick and axle stand under there or 2 lol :)
Matthew.Ridges
"Chris Whelan" <cawh...@prejudicentlworld.com> wrote in message
news:KfQTn.3$CW...@newsfe21.ams2...
I really shoul dhave read on hehe
Matthew.Ridges
Tell me about it, I had a few misses in my wreckless days so as soon as the
cars up the stands go under .. I'm to pretty to get squished.
Clot
Hmm? (W)reckless - which is it, or both?
