After my summer rebuild allwas fine for a few days, but it seemed thay the battery had not had a good time sat on the shelf.
Mornings it would crank the engine over, but it seemed a bit laboured. After a long ride which shoudl have given it a good chrge it really would strain.
Then, one day it failed to start completely. I had to parke up outsode the carpark for a coupel of minutes buit when it came to moving it inside, the starter would not turn. It made a few asthmatic sounding attempts, which sapped all power and dimmed the display....
I got hold of a charger and put in on charge all day, at the end of which it started OK. It seemed that the battery had given up. It was a Motobatt, but at over 3 years old its demise was not totally unexpected. I got hold of a replacement battery, which started the bike fine, but when I got to work and tried the starter it failed again!
Now, my ride in is 55 miles give or take a few yards, so it had plenty of time to recharge 0n the way. I fitted new alternator belt and double checked the earth points and battery connections. Next day same thing, starts fine first thing, dead as a DoDo by the time I get to work. I forgot to put the battery on charge one day, so at 5:30 I expected to find it just as dead. But Lo, in an act not seen since Lazarus it span the engine over as keenly as a hamster in a spin dryer.
Doing a bit of googling I came across a few articles on ADVRider describing these symtoms, and suggesting the starter itself may not be entirely innocent.
I took that out and stripped it down. Dry gears, sticking bendix, worn brushes, clogging with worn brush dust and a dirty commutator hinted this motor not be as healthy as first thought.
I cleaned lubed and re-assembled and it was so much better. So, I ordered a new set of brushes for £21, including the holder, to make the repair last as long as possible. The bosch part number is 1004336896, which I got from EVC Ltd http://www.cps-service.co.uk/product_info.php/brush-holders-brush-holder-bosch-citroen-mini-peugeot-audi-seat-skoda-ford-p-165. Today I fitted them.
This is my story of replacing Bosch starter motor brushes, quite an easy job, 30 minutes including a couple of pee stops and the photos. I do not know how a Valeo will be in comparison, I know they were used on earlier modesl and were prone to failing. Removal and replacement is the same, the Bosch superseded the Valeo and is a direct replacement.
First off, disconnect the battery negative from the battery and make sure the cable cannot swing back to touch it.
Now the positive cable to the starte can be disconnected without fear of meltdown.
And not forgetting to disconnect the starter signal cable too:
The starte is held on with only 2 bolts, T45 bit. This one is obvious, the other is at about 5 O'Clock when viwed from behind. Just about everything gets in the way of getting a T45 bit in there, but it can be done. That out of sight bolt is the hardest part of the whole operation.
Bolt out, the starte can be removed and worked on on then bench. Remove the 2 phillips srews on the rear cover,
to get at a clip on the end of the starter shaft, whuich needs to be removed, along with a washer underneath it:
The 2 long 7m hex head bolts in the end cover need to be undone to release the entire motor assembly. The magnets in the outer body hold it all together ...
here is the brush holder assembly, undo the braided cable from the solenoid and it wil lift off the commutator, and the brushes will go everywhere.
Here is the geabox at the other end. A good clean out with a degreaser ad repack with waterproof grease won't hurt.
The new brushes come pre-assembled with a handy collar so that they slip straight on to the commutator without needing to be tied back with cable ties or Pixie string:
Line up the brush holder insulator and the lugs on its side with the dents in the inside of the motor body and push it home:
Final assembly is simple reverse process
. No harm in adding some grease to the end after re-fitting the clip. Not forgetting the washer, of course 
. The shaft may need lifting a bit to get the washer and the clip on. Once the starter is back on, reconnect everything else before reconnecting the battery.
It now spins the engine over like it did 150,000 miles ago.
Mornings it would crank the engine over, but it seemed a bit laboured. After a long ride which shoudl have given it a good chrge it really would strain.
Then, one day it failed to start completely. I had to parke up outsode the carpark for a coupel of minutes buit when it came to moving it inside, the starter would not turn. It made a few asthmatic sounding attempts, which sapped all power and dimmed the display....
I got hold of a charger and put in on charge all day, at the end of which it started OK. It seemed that the battery had given up. It was a Motobatt, but at over 3 years old its demise was not totally unexpected. I got hold of a replacement battery, which started the bike fine, but when I got to work and tried the starter it failed again!
Now, my ride in is 55 miles give or take a few yards, so it had plenty of time to recharge 0n the way. I fitted new alternator belt and double checked the earth points and battery connections. Next day same thing, starts fine first thing, dead as a DoDo by the time I get to work. I forgot to put the battery on charge one day, so at 5:30 I expected to find it just as dead. But Lo, in an act not seen since Lazarus it span the engine over as keenly as a hamster in a spin dryer.
Doing a bit of googling I came across a few articles on ADVRider describing these symtoms, and suggesting the starter itself may not be entirely innocent.
I took that out and stripped it down. Dry gears, sticking bendix, worn brushes, clogging with worn brush dust and a dirty commutator hinted this motor not be as healthy as first thought.
I cleaned lubed and re-assembled and it was so much better. So, I ordered a new set of brushes for £21, including the holder, to make the repair last as long as possible. The bosch part number is 1004336896, which I got from EVC Ltd http://www.cps-service.co.uk/product_info.php/brush-holders-brush-holder-bosch-citroen-mini-peugeot-audi-seat-skoda-ford-p-165. Today I fitted them.
This is my story of replacing Bosch starter motor brushes, quite an easy job, 30 minutes including a couple of pee stops and the photos. I do not know how a Valeo will be in comparison, I know they were used on earlier modesl and were prone to failing. Removal and replacement is the same, the Bosch superseded the Valeo and is a direct replacement.
First off, disconnect the battery negative from the battery and make sure the cable cannot swing back to touch it.
Now the positive cable to the starte can be disconnected without fear of meltdown.
And not forgetting to disconnect the starter signal cable too:
The starte is held on with only 2 bolts, T45 bit. This one is obvious, the other is at about 5 O'Clock when viwed from behind. Just about everything gets in the way of getting a T45 bit in there, but it can be done. That out of sight bolt is the hardest part of the whole operation.
Bolt out, the starte can be removed and worked on on then bench. Remove the 2 phillips srews on the rear cover,
to get at a clip on the end of the starter shaft, whuich needs to be removed, along with a washer underneath it:
The 2 long 7m hex head bolts in the end cover need to be undone to release the entire motor assembly. The magnets in the outer body hold it all together ...
here is the brush holder assembly, undo the braided cable from the solenoid and it wil lift off the commutator, and the brushes will go everywhere.
Here is the geabox at the other end. A good clean out with a degreaser ad repack with waterproof grease won't hurt.
The new brushes come pre-assembled with a handy collar so that they slip straight on to the commutator without needing to be tied back with cable ties or Pixie string:
Line up the brush holder insulator and the lugs on its side with the dents in the inside of the motor body and push it home:
Final assembly is simple reverse process
. No harm in adding some grease to the end after re-fitting the clip. Not forgetting the washer, of course . The shaft may need lifting a bit to get the washer and the clip on. Once the starter is back on, reconnect everything else before reconnecting the battery.It now spins the engine over like it did 150,000 miles ago.
