Another Two steps Forward, One back

The engine still seems to be weeping oil at the back end, probably through the flywheel housing gasket. The fact that it’s still appearing suggests it’s actually a small leak, not pooled oil from refilling after all, but it’s still a bit early to be sure either way. The amount is small, at least, and the oil level seems to be staying constant.

The gearbox is running fine, with no more jumping out of gear. The only weeps I can see are from the two drain plugs’ copper washers and from the 4wd housings’ upper O-ring, where the yellow lever’s pin enters the unit (the last possibly due to overfilling). The transfer box lever rattles at certain engine rpm, so I’ll have a go at fitting some packing along either side of its aperture in the floor to hold it firmer.

The backward step was engine related. When I tried to go to work yesterday, turning the ignition key resulted in all the usual lights on the dash coming on, but nothing else – no engine cranking, not even a click from the solenoid. I had a play around this morning, testing the electrical continuity and terminals, even removing the instrument panel to test the ignition switch, but couldn’t find any faults. This pointed to a seized solenoid, so I ended up spending a couple of hours swapping the starter motor for the spare that came from the broken 19J engine. It’s very frustrating to have this sort of failure just after completing other repairs, but it’s much better that it failed now rather than in the Alps in a few weeks’ time.

That Valeo starter looks brand new. It had obviously been used a little because it was covered in oil when fitted on the 19J, but removing the filth revealed a bright anodised finish and complete lack of signs of ageing – it really could have come straight out of a box. I suspect that the 19J’s owner had fitted a new starter when he had starting difficulties, not realising that it was due to the lack of compression from the severely cracked pistons. Between that new starter, the good alternator, mint flywheel, crank shaft and oil pump (all of which are common with the 200Tdi), I got a lot more in value for those parts than the amount I paid for the engine, so even though the pistons and head were smashed, it looks like I still got a good deal.