SpecialEducation

I buy these bulbs & bulb holders in bulk on Amazon to use for various testing & experimental purposes. This one is actually 28v because I’m an aircraft mechanic/engineer, but it still works for this purpose. After pulling the plug from the top of the starter I had my dad hit the brake & the start button. Both terminals lit up. With that, I’d proved that all three terminals were getting power so the fault had to be in the starter.

Having never laid eyes on the starter I instinctively dropped the skid plate. In retrospect, I suppose that wasn’t necessary. Typical Opel OHC, starter is in the back. I’m looking through the gap between the drive shaft and the exhaust, while reaching up between the exhaust and the subframe. The biggest pain here was unplugging the weather-pack connector that triggers the pinion and the motor. The power lead from the battery to the starter to the alternator is still hot for electrical testing. I just popped the red safety clip out with the little screwdriver, and actually wedged my flush cutters between the connector and the air box to pop the connector loose.

Quick diagnostics: I was pretty sure the symptoms were indicative of a bad starter but I’m allergic to changing parts without proper diagnosis. I borrowed a friend’s minivan (gag) last fall and it acted like a dead starter because the computer won’t even let the starter try to crank if the battery voltage is less than 12.0. I got a volt meter to and tried a jump box, just in case this thing was like that. No joy. This starter is weird, there’s a separate trigger for the motor and the pinion, and separate relays & fuses for such as well. One relay is duplicated in the j-box so that’s an easy swap. The other isn’t so beyond the fuses and one relay it’s under the car we go.

The verdict is now that I’ve spent $300 on a lifetime warranty starter I’m not going to spend more money on a box to defeat the start stop. Future failures will only cost me a couple hours so I’ll leave it. My rough estimation is that the start/stop has saved about $900 of gas over the life of the starter. If I was paying someone to do the work, it would probably be a wash.

Surprisingly easy. The weirdest part is the weather-pack connector on the starter.

Let’s start with the tools needed. Not much, really. A 10mm socket to disconnect the battery cable, 13mm sockets for everything else (Not shown: A 5” extension to get past the starter). Some wire & test lights for diagnostics, and flush cutters to clip some zip ties. The little screwdriver is to pop the red safety clip from the weather-pack connector on the starter.

While many find the auto start/stop feature annoying, my wife particularly enjoys the gas savings. Comparing the normal operation of the vehicle to intentionally defeating the start/stop system my wife found a typical improvement of 2-3 mpg when she lets the car do it’s thing. My question has been, will the gas savings pay for the starter wear? Well, earlier this week, at just over 80k on the clock, the auto stop turned the engine off at a stop light. When she lifted her foot off the brake, nothing. This system was a little more difficult to troubleshoot than a typical car, but as far as starter changes go, I’ve got older Opel powered cars that are similar, if not a bit more difficult. I am quite spoiled in this day & age. Whenever doing an unfamiliar task I usually take a quick class at YouTube University. Unfortunately, that was a complete waste of time. I’ll document the process here through a series of posts and try to put together a YouTube video in the future to help others out.

Pretty sure my ‘82 used 205/75s. 215 might have been an upgrade size, but I don’t think I’d go much bigger than that. I’d certainly downsize the series if I went bigger. I often thought 225/50s would look good on her, but I think we figured anything wider than 215 would rub.

A 3rd Pokémoto opened up nearby. 1/2 price bowls tonight! https://www.pokemoto.com Ahi Tuna & Spam is a winning combo!

I’m Matt and I’m into planes, trains, and automobiles, although I’ve never seen the movie. I live in Wichita, Kansas so that apparently makes the previous statement even funnier. It’s on my to-do list, but with 22 cars and 3 houses my to-do list is quite long… lol I also like boats. I’m currently experimenting with 3D printing car parts. I’m currently working on a Saturn part (I have 6 of those) although I’ve designed some things for my Reatta that I haven’t tried printing yet, and I’ve got a project for the ‘56 that I’m hoping to get to soon. If you are using the mobile site and can’t see my signature, the Buicks include a ‘56 Special, ‘78 Riviera, ‘87 Skyhawk, ‘89 LeSabre, ‘90 Reatta, and ‘18 TourX.

I’m calling my friend in Jo’burg right now! He talks about “big 5” and “alternate big 5.” Spamalopes must be part of the “substitute alternate big 5.” 🤣

I would look for a factory service manual on eBay.

BK1755 tells us this is was the 1755th 1956 Buick body built at the Fairfax, Kansas BOP plant. Early production, so it should have the screen in the hood scoop, not the painted plates. I think our ‘56 Special is BK970.

Drove the TourX to get a Pokè bowl and a mango milk tea. While paying I spotted the SPAM musubi. It was difficult to leave behind… 🤤

East Coast Reatta Parts is getting a batch of Monroes made.

Cadillac guys are a little different, aren’t they? lol He does car videos, too, but I don’t find any of those on YouTube…

I don’t know what Dylan’s problem is… This looks delicious!

Yeah, I’ve had an engineering title again for nearly a year now.

Still waiting for a Buick version…

Beautiful! Love the 2-door B-bodies, and that color combo is fire! 🔥

I think the earliest GM SPID label I’ve seen is 1973.

https://www.hometownbuick.com/1955-buick/1955-buick-interior-trim-combinations/

It’s been a while since I’ve assembled a ‘56 front bumper, but I don’t recognize any of those pieces.

Rumor has it the SPAM bus is Buick powered… lol

I may have to make a copy of this… lol