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Date:         Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:10:38 -0400
Reply-To:     Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Karl Mullendore <groups@WESTYVENTURES.COM>
Subject:      New, better starter option for conversions, especially diesels
Comments: To: TDI-conversion@yahoogroups.com, Diesel-Vanagon@yahoogroups.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Folks, I just finished a small project I've toyed with building for some time now. As many of you might be aware, when doing a diesel conversion or other high-compression engine swap, the only choice seems to be the 'Hi-Torque' IMI starter to mate to the WBX bell housing. The failure rate of these is just FAR too high to make it a realistic and dependable option, in my opinion.

I currently have a customer's Syncro Westy turbodiesel (1.9 AAZ TD conversion) in my shop for repairs and overall rehab, now on it's THIRD Hi-Torque/IMI starter in 50K miles. And this third starter cranks SO slowly that cold starts are unbearable and hot starts almost impossible unless you get lucky. This conversion was assembled using a Kennedy adaptor plate, as many are.

What I decided to use is the stock TDI car starter. Widely available, cheaper than the IMI, and BOSCH. This is a gear-drive starter that has more right to be called 'Hi Torque' that the crap-tacular IMI. The TDI starter is just short enough to fit perfectly in place of the WBX starter, along with a small adapter/spacer plate I machined. The starter gear is larger in diameter by one tooth and longer by 5/16", so I machined the plate to fit into the recess of the WBX bell housing on one side, the other side machined for the TDI starter to fit at .040 OFFSET to the outside of the flywheel radius, and ending up 5/16" thick. This offset compensates for the larger starter gear and works well as the TDI starter shaft is self-supporting like the IMI. The mounting holes of the starter do have to be elongated slightly with a die-grinder as the bolt spacing is slightly different, and the lower stud replaced with a longer one, but it fits beautifully! The only downside I can see, if you'd call it one, is that on Syncros with rear diff-lock the later-style actuator bracket (longer) is required and must have a small notch cut to clear the end of the starter.

Results? The first start after I installed it was spectacular: where the IMI dragged and barely started the diesel (even after activating the glow plugs), the TDI starter zipped it to life instantly, WITHOUT glowing the plugs at all! The sound is a very healthy zip, just like all the modern cars with gear-drive starters.

I feel this is an important breakthrough, and intend to have the adapter plate copied and produced in large quantities if enough interest is shown So...if you have an interest in one or more, please email direct to this address: tdistarterproject@westyventures.com . I am also planning at the same time to do a run of plates to adapt the same starter to the stock diesel Vanagon bell housing. Thanks for reading this rather long email, and hope it is of interest to you.

Karl Mullendore Westy Ventures


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