On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:10:36 +0000, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I'm having problems with the starter motor on the old Rover. It's a fairly
recent recon unit - but has had a fair amount of abuse since

Hmm, I dismantled our truck one last year - the bearings had all gone
dry (the exhaust runs right next to it) and a seal had failed such that it
was slowy filling up with crud. It was much better afterwards :-)

I've stuck my DC clamp meter (not the most accurate of devices) and
looked at the cranking current on a cold day. It's saying 550 amps -
close to the battery max - and it's turning over slower than I remember.
So I'm guessing at a shorted turn somewhere through overheating. Have
had this before.

Are you certain it's not the battery or wiring issue? Any minor problems
can really mess with starting even if there are no signs of trouble when
things are running. I realise you've probably looked into it already, but
it doesn't hurt to ask - changing the starter is expensive faff if it
turns out to not solve the problem (or mask the real one)

cheers

Jules