New Starter is too Short?

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 02 Oct 2014, 17:30

I've had a remanufactured starter (Beck Arnley 187-0622) riding around in my trunk for 4 months. I didn't really think anything about it when I ordered it, I assumed Volvo 850 starter = Volvo 850 starter. The PCV oil trap needed attention, so while I had the intake manifold off I figured I'd finally replace my flaky starter too.

The new starter is physically ~1.5" shorter in over all length than the original Bosch unit. The face of the starter fits to the bellhousing correctly, but it's too short for the rear bracket to mount to the engine block.

Anyone ran into this problem before? Do I need to send it back, or install it without the bracket on the end?

- Lee

Post by **abscate** » 02 Oct 2014, 17:38

Lee...could you bridge the gap from bracket to starter with longer bolts, with extra nuts to tighten onto the bracket , perhaps?

I once did a VW starter and found the new OEM had a 13 mm shaft and the original was 12.5..I had to use a rebuilt one to fit.

Post by **scot850** » 02 Oct 2014, 17:41

You don't say what year your 850 is. The 93 I had had a longer starter body, and I had the same problem as you when I got a new one. Fortunately I had picked up another starter from a wrecking yard from a newer car and it had the shorter body and the bracket was longer. So either get a longer bracket for a later model, or swap the starter motor for the earlier version.

Neil.

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 02 Oct 2014, 17:53

abscate wrote:Lee...could you bridge the gap from bracket to starter with longer bolts, with extra nuts to tighten onto the bracket , perhaps?

I once did a VW starter and found the new OEM had a 13 mm shaft and the original was 12.5..I had to use a rebuilt one to fit.

Even if I were to slot the bolt hole that mounts to the block, the studs that the bracket mounts to the starter with still won't be long enough. Making the studs on the back of the starter any longer won't be simple.

- Lee

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 02 Oct 2014, 17:58

scot850 wrote:You don't say what year your 850 is. The 93 I had had a longer starter body, and I had the same problem as you when I got a new one. Fortunately I had picked up another starter from a wrecking yard from a newer car and it had the shorter body and the bracket was longer. So either get a longer bracket for a later model, or swap the starter motor for the earlier version.

Neil.

Says what it is right under my screen name.

It's a '95 850 GLT, with a '94 VVIS engine, and the car's original '95 starter on said engine. So saying what year it is ain't that simple. There's a handful of S/V70 parts of various years on it too.

Apparently there are different length starters then, and I'm not crazy, well that crazy. Thanks!

Sounds like the starter is getting returned/exchanged.

- Lee

Post by **erikv11** » 02 Oct 2014, 19:43

I may have an extra one of those longer brackets, let me know if you want me to check.

Post by **scot850** » 02 Oct 2014, 19:56

Nice to find you are not completely losing it! The longer starter motor is, I think harder to find and if I recall more expensive. The longer motor and shorter bracket are inter-changeable with the longer motor and shorter bracket. So maybe just get the bracket either used (as per Eric`s offer) or new from Volvo.

Good luck,

Neil.

Post by **precopster** » 02 Oct 2014, 20:17

bigdaddylee82 wrote:
Says what it is right under my screen name.

- Lee

Don't forget many of us log in with Tapatalk which doesn't show the model or signature

Post by **bigdaddylee82** » 02 Oct 2014, 20:46

Thanks for the info folks, it's boxed up with a return label on it.

I wanted a Bosch originally anyway, just didn't want to pay for it. I've been down this road enough times with Volvos to know you get what you pay for, I should know better by now.

- Lee

Post by **dosbricks** » 03 Oct 2014, 14:45

I ordered a rebuilt starter off ebay for my 850. When it arrived it was the shorter version. I called the seller and complained saying I wanted the exact starter for my year car which the ebay listing claimed. He was in California, but in a great Eastern European accent, he informed me that he had sent the longer bracket to go with the shorter starter to make it fit up correctly. I wasn't buying it. I wanted the longer starter, but he said he didn't rebuild them. I said, "Why Not!?" He said, "Because they're no good! Nobody wants them!" I laughed and said, "Okay, I'll install it." He further promised that if I had any problem with the short starter, he would replace it without cost and pay shipping both ways.

It's natural to think longer = better. According the rebuilder I spoke with, it's not necessarily the case, and according to his experience, the converse is true. I don't know if he was telling the truth, but they have a lot of Volvos in CA, so maybe he knows something. The follow up is that it has been on the car a couple of years and has performed flawlessly. BTW, the shorter starter was also a Bosch.