A submarining starter

[four.rings@MCIONE.com]

Jerry Croucher <croucher@mail.eos.net> wrote:

Years ago I had a 1980 Audi 4000 4 cyl that developed the same problem
at 75,000 miles.  I choked at the price of a replacement starter so I
removed the starter and lubricated the shaft with "Lubriplate" a light
lithium grease.  The starter was still with the car when it kissed an
earth embankment at 163,000 miles.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Two years ago I tried to imitate our Resident Submarine Commander Huw
=8) and attacked a huge spring puddle in the 200TQ. The nearby creek
flooded the  parking lot in front of my office. The puddle was about 10m
long and 0.5m deep which of course I discovered no sooner than half-way
to the shore. BTW, the puddle already sported an abandoned SUV in it's
middle, but nooo, I had to try doing it myself. (Just like a kid who saw
a "fresh paint" sign).
The water was by waterline of my 200, eer I meant by the door moulding,
and the car had almost stalled. The vision of the stalled engine sucking
in gallons of water through the tailpipe with it's negative pressure and
waterlocking as a consequence made me do the quickest double declutching
downshift from 3rd to 1st in my life. I mashed the throttle to the floor
and the car baaaaaretly made it ashore. En route I encountered an
iceberg head-on (a floating piece of ice 10cm thick :), which sheared
off my front German plate clean.
All lights in the dash came on like a Christmas tree (alternator was
flooded), but I made it home OK.

Next morning I tried to start the car but it won't. I mean, no sound, no
cranking, not even clicking. Dead silence as if I  had not even turned
the key! At -5°C the flooded solenoid got frozen solid!

By noon the temperature rose above zero and I started the car fine.
Pulled it into the garage, pulled the starter out and apart
and_drained_it. Cleaned it up, lubricated the Bendix mechanism, sanded
the commutator etc. - all usual electrical preventive stuff.
I even took the solenoid apart and sanded the contacts and the anchor.

The starter did serve me well for over a year but recently it began to
stop turning after about 10 sec of cranking. I figured that the second
repair on the 10y/o starter would be one too many and just replaced it.
Given the fact that the replacement starter is OEM Bosch and that it
carries a full lifetime warranty, this would be the last starter that I
bought for this car.

-- 
Igor Kessel
'89 200TQ -- 18psi (TAP)
'98 A4TQ -- nothing to declare
Philadelphia, PA
USA