Starter replacement on 80 4 Cyl.

[Chuck Hill]

About ten days ago I begged for help in removing the starter from an '89
80 4 Cyl. w. Auto transmission. The Bently book doesn't mention this
task. Several of you responded with helpful tips, and suggested that
when I finished the job I should write it up and post it for the group,
so here goes.

1.  I put the car up on ramps, blocked up the right front, and removed
the front wheel.  Disconnect the battery.  The AC compressor blocks
access to the starter so it will have to be removed.  Loosen or remove
the drive belts to the power steering pump and the AC compressor by
unbolting the pulleys at the front of the engine.
2. Next, I removed the 4 bolts mounting the compressor, and tied it up
as much as possible so it wasn't dangling on the hoses, and in my way.
3.  The motor mount also blocks removal of the starter.  I removed the
mount and its metal support.  2 bolts here.  To get access to the rear
one, which is hampered by the proximity of the engine carrier subframe I
had to lift the engine upward about 5 cm, which required removing the
front engine mount/limiter.  Two bolts on it.  I also loosened the bolt
mounting the subframe to the body, allowing it to droop downward a bit.
I could then remove the engine mount and its bracket.
3.  At this point, I could finally actually reach in and touch the
starter.  The exhaust pipes and manifold are just above it, restricting
access from above, and the transmission bell housing is behind it.
There is a pressed sheet metal heat shield strapped to the starter which
can be removed once the starter is out--leave it in place for the moment
. There is a stabilizing bracket at the front of the starter with two
small nuts to remove to the starter and one larger bolt into the engine
block to be removed.   Remove the wiring from the starter, -two heavy
gauge wires under a nut, and a lighter wire on a push on connector.
4.  The starter is held to the bell housing with 3 long bolts that pass
through the BH from the rear, and thread into the starter.  Access to
these bolts is difficult, but possible from underneath and through the
opening of the tie rod opening in the inner fender well.  Remove the 3
bolts, and the starter is free, and can be removed from the front.
5.  The starter bushing in the bell housing should be replaced, and
because of its position, it is hard to reach.  I usually use a tap to
snag these, turn it loose, and extract them, but in this case I couldn't
reach it.  I ended up using a 18" piece of 1/2" redi-bolt that I
threaded into the bushing a bit, and gripping the front end of the
threaded rod with vise-grips tapped it forward, pulling out the
bushing.  I used the same "tool" to seat the new bushing after grinding
the end to a diameter that would fit into the bushing.  Before doing
that, put a nut on the rod and run it in a couple of inches.  After
grinding down the end, run the nut down so that about 1cm of the rod is
exposed.  Put the bushing on, and seat it in its hole with the tool.
6.  Reassembly is the reverse of the above. A couple of tips: Clean up
the threads on the new starter so that you can turn in the bolts with
your fingers as much as possible, and mount the heat shield on the
starter before you bolt the new one back in.  Connect the battery and
check the operation of the starter before complete reassembly.

This is kinda tough.  It is just barely possible when you're lucky and
things aren't stuck with rust.  Ah the joys of tinkering with good old
Audis.  Still, you will have earned "bragging rights" and the
satisfaction of having overcome the situation.  You'll probably save
paying for about 3 hours of shop time, too, though it will probably take
you much longer than that.

Chuck Hill