Posts: 55
Since: 13/3/2009
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Over the last few days I noticed the starter turning ever slower and slower. I assumed it was the battery and so when it just went ‘clunk’ when I turned the key, I was surprised to see that the lights were bright and the wipers went full blast. ‘Bugger…it’s the starter then! ‘
Now I know that we live in a world where half wits blame others when they do something silly and they sue people who try to help. So the following is NOT advice for replacing a starter motor on a 3200GT or a suggestion of how to save a fortune…but if I was doing it again, I would like my instructions to read as follows.
45 Where is the starter? After 3 of us spent 20 minutes looking for it, I eventually discovered the starter motor using a fibre optic camera! It’s sat right at the top of the engine under the inlet manifold and other gubbins. You cannot see it from just looking at the engine in situ.
89 Where can I get a new starter from? Eurospares quoted a 240 pounds plus VAT plus carriage ...gulp. I never even asked a main dealer. Waterloo motor factors quoted about 160 pounds plus VAT (better)…...but a 4 week wait and Andrew Page motor factors said: “a maserati, no chance!”. However when I quoted the Valeo genuine part number that I got off the original (D6RA64) Andrew pages said it showed on their system as a Peugeot/Citroen/Lancia starter…”oh yes, we have one in stock…50.02 Pounds plus VAT” (Bosch reconditioned unit part number 0986016530-93N). Please read on however as it needs a very small alteration to make it fit.
1213 What tools do I need? 13mm, 14mm, 17mm open ended spanners, 6mm Hexagon key socket, 9” extension bar and a 3/8 drive ratchet (1/2” drive is too fat), medium sized cross head screwdriver and a pair of old side cutters. A magnet on a stick is a good idea and 13mm and 14mm shallow and thin sockets would help. Some kitchen roll and chocolate hobnobs help too.
1617 How long will it take? Ages, as it’s a lot of faffing about. I took 4 hours in a leisurely way, stopping for the odd cup of coffee every now and again.
2021 Is it difficult? No, assuming you are an average amateur spanner wielder. No special tools are needed and the whole thing can be done with the car sat on the drive.
2425 How to do it? Now this bit will sound long and complicated. Yes it is long, no it is not complicated. I would start from the rear of the engine and work my way forward, that way you are less likely to miss something and instructions are easier to follow.
A Disconnect the car battery, ensuring that the windows are down a little (just in case you want to open the doors!) 5 minutes.
B If you can use an air line or similar, blow clean the top of the engine especially around the bottom of the inlet manifold, where it bolts to the head. Mine was full of leaves. I had no air line, so used a vacuum cleaner and a clean paintbrush to clean it all up. 10 minutes
C Start at the back of the engine and undo the following;
1 The four push-on black pipes (very small diameter) right at the back of the inlet manifold. Try to remember where to put them back. (2 minutes)
2 Using a 17mm spanner undo the 4 fuel pipe unions (2 per fuel rail) above and to each side of the inlet manifold. (4 minutes)
3 Unclip the 8 fuel injector electrical connectors. (4 minutes)
4 Unclip the 2 small fuel vapour breather pipes that come from the front of the
fuel rails. Use the old side cutters to undo the clips, you can reuse them. (4 minutes)
5 Unclip the 2 breather pipes on the black box thingy at the front of the engine (to the right as you look at the engine….it has 3 pipes about ½” diameter going into it, you only need to undo the middle and left pipes). Again use the sidecutters gently and you can then reuse the clips. (5 minutes)
6 Undo the electrical connector to the left front of the engine (as looking at it) that connects to the throttle body. It unclips. (2 minutes)
7 Undo the large hoseclip that connects the air intake pipe to the front of the throttle body. Pull the air intake pipe forward. (3 minutes)
If all is well, you shouldn’t be able to see anything else connected to the inlet manifold apart from both sets of injectors and fuel rails that you do NOT need to remove. If you see any other rubber hose remove it and curse me for forgetting to tell you.
Now you need to remove the entire inlet manifold/fuel injectors/fuel rails and this is easy, as follows:
6667 Undo the 16 hexagon bolts (6mm) that hold the manifold down to the head. Be very careful to remove the bolt AND the washers (you do NOT want them to fall into the head as you remove the manifold. I used a small magnet on a stick). (10-15 minutes)
7071 Now you need a helper and between you (one on each side) lift the manifold straight up about 6” only.
7475 The person on the passenger side now needs to undo an irritating ½” vacuum pipe that is on the bottom of the manifold. (1-5 minutes plus swearing)
7879 With this undone, the manifold, injectors and fuel rails will easily lift off in one piece. Put it all safely on some cardboard or similar, to avoid damaging it.
8283 Now before anything else, cover up all 8 openings into the head. I just put a wad of gently squashed up kitchen roll in each. You MUST make sure that nothing falls down these holes. (take a few minutes here and be very careful…drop something down there and it will make you cry)
By now, you will at last be able to see the starter motor…under some pipes!
9293 You only need to undo the two rear pipes, leave all the others alone. (5 minutes)
9697 Now using a 14 mm spanner undo the middle bolt holding the starter in place. Once part undone (it’s almost one flat at a time and takes forever) undo the 2 other bolts that hold in the starter; these for some silly reason are 13mm, each one has a braided earth to it…remember that later! (10 minutes plus swearing)
100101 Now the starter will move, but is held in by its cables. Unplug the small spade connector and using the 13mm spanner undo the main power lead. This takes a while as there is very little space. Be patient. (another 10 minutes in my case)
Now the starter will come out of the space at the back, where you undid the 2 hoses. (2 minutes jiggling it)
110111 Have a well earned cup of tea and a chocolate hobnob. (30 minutes seems reasonable)
Now look in dismay as the Bosch starter turns up and looks different! (in my case 5 minutes wimpering followed by 5 minutes careful measuring and inspecting). Don’t panic though. The only difference is the casting that bolts it to the bell housing. This is easily swapped with the old one by undoing 4 small torx or hexagon keys and takes less than 5 minutes.
Refitting is absolutely the reverse of the above and takes less time. To be absolutely certain that nothing had fallen down the head, I used a magnet on a stick to trawl around each of the 8 ports before replacing the inlet manifold.
I spent ages at each stage making sure that I’d not missed anything. Whilst I was at it I inspected all the hoses and stuff under the manifold and would have replaced anything that looked like it was old and cracked.
Yes it took me 4 hours in total, but I saved an absolute packet. The whole thing cost me less than 60 pounds. The Bosch unit is a reconditioned Valeo unit and is absolutely identical to the OE unit (once I’d changed the casting on the end).
Obviously there are members of this forum who love their Maseratis and can afford Maserati prices to get them fixed. If that’s you, what I’ve written here is not of much relevance. Unfortunately I am one of those who has saved for years to buy the car and although prepared to pay Maserati prices when I have to, I will save money where I can, if it in no way adversely affects my car.
Every time I’ve read someone’s money saving tips on this forum, there is someone with pots of money who belittles them and casts doubt on the appropriateness of their advice. So what I’ve written here is not advice at all. I just thought I’d share my experience for the benefit of anybody like me, who loves their car and comes from the peoples republic of Yorkshire (ie careful with their pennies).
Sometimes it is easy to think of Maseratis as being like space ships…they are not. They are cars made of fairly bog standard parts, many of which are the same as other cars. Don’t be frightened of it. I have saved hundreds and hundreds of pounds that I can spend on petrol now….and that means I smile a lot because I can drive it some more.
Cheers Neil
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