Swapping 85 Jetta diesel starter w/ 80 Rabbit diesel starter

[85Jettaturbo]

Hello,
I have an 85 Jetta Turbo Diesel with a starter that is going bad.  I also have a reconditioned starter out of a an 80 diesel rabbit that I would like to use in the Jetta but a parts book says they take different starters.  They physically look the same but before I attempt this and take a chance of  having the current starter fall apart when I take it out this weekend I thought I would just ask an expert.
Thanks for any replies.

[Wayland]

AFAIK, it should work fine.

[R.O.R-2.0]

mk2 front engine mounts bolt to the starter too, so that mount will be gone. they are WAY different. might work the same, but they are different. i dont think i would want half of my engine mount bolted to nothing..

[Wayland]

Sorry, I was thinking the other way around. The 85 starter will work fine on the 80, but I guess that doesn't help you much!!

[8v-of-fury]

My ETKA shows a part number 068 911 023 for a Bosch manual starter under 1980 Rabbit. This same part number is referenced again when looking up a 1985 diesel engine as well... it shows the same part number, therefore from what I see any manual trans starter found on mk1 and mk2 diesels should interchange..

[rabbitman]

It won't though, look in ebay and find some pictures, the mk2's have a third bolt hole for the engine mount.

So you can use a mk2 starter on a mk1 but not the other way around.

[R.O.R-2.0]

ive got mk1 and mk2 cars, i wouldnt have even posted had i thought that it would be a waste of time...

the starters on mk1 and mk2 cars are way different..

like was stated, mk2 starters will work on mk1 cars, but not the other way around.

they probably discontinued the mk1 starter because the mk2 unit fit the mk1 just fine, no need for 2 different part numbers, just 86 the old part number and all is well...

all the rebuilt VW starters at my old work were mk2 units, and some were marked for mk1 cars..

[Wayland]

ive got mk1 and mk2 cars, i wouldnt have even posted had i thought that it would be a waste of time...

the starters on mk1 and mk2 cars are way different..

like was stated, mk2 starters will work on mk1 cars, but not the other way around.

they probably discontinued the mk1 starter because the mk2 unit fit the mk1 just fine, no need for 2 different part numbers, just 86 the old part number and all is well...

all the rebuilt VW starters at my old work were mk2 units, and some were marked for mk1 cars..

This is true. Around here anyway, only MKII type starters are available as rebuilts. I seen to recall the last one I bought had a note in it stating something like "this replacement unit may differ in appearance from your old one, but will fit blah, blah"

[coke]

It'll work. You just won't be able to put a bolt in the motor mount, since your starter housing won't have it.

I swapped an 82 starter (Direct drive) in place of a failing gear reduction starter on my 91 Jetta. I never had an issue either, and no noticeable engine rocking or jumping before or after the swap.

Yes, the starter is different. It lacks a 3rd bolt hole. But other than that, you should be golden. I'm 100% certain that motor mount is attached to something else as well.

[R.O.R-2.0]

it is attached to the other end of the starter bolts too, but why sacrifice 33% of your mounting strength on a torquey diesel?

to the Original Poster:

if your motor mount fails because of the wrong starter, we warned you..
i would imagine it would be fine as a temporary fix till you can afford the right rebuilt starter..

[coke]

I installed my 2 bolt starter from an 82 at precisely 182k miles. At 293k when I sold the vehicle, the starter was still working fine, and a thorough inspection yielded no conclusive results that not using the starter with the 3rd bolt caused any negative side affects, whatsoever.

I'm just saying: It will work. And most likely, for a very long time, and this is based purely on my experience. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Should you? That's a decision you'll have to make.

[R.O.R-2.0]

i, personally, would never do it. i know how hard i am on the clutch pedal.. and i already cracked my front engine mount on the GTI, broke a couple fronts when i had the 1.5 in my black car, and a rear mount too, almost turned the engine 90* in the engine bay.. and if that 3rd bolt doesnt add much strength, then why does it occasionally break the ear right off the starter that it mounts to?

sure, most of the strength is in the 2 bigger bolts, but that 3rd bolt is still there, and it does add strength.. if its gonna break, it will take a long time, because that bolt you are not using, its to keep the mount from flexing back and forth.. and without that 3rd bolt, its gonna flex, and eventually break..

Coke:

my bet is that you drove your car very mildly with the mount like that? it may last forever, it may fail in 20 minutes..

i do not drive any of my cars mildly.. they see redline, do burn outs, all sorts of kid stuff.. and i know that i wouldnt want a MISSING MOTOR MOUNT BOLT for how hard i drive my car..

MISSING MOTOR MOUNT BOLT! how smart does that sound??

it may work, but its NOT RIGHT, and its just asking for problems in my mind..

[coke]

I didn't do burnouts, well maybe once or twice, but 3 other people drove the car like this for 5 years before we finally sold it.  I tend not to spare the horses when I drive, either. I'm just saying, it can be done. I don't advocate doing it under any circumstance since its "incorrect" but it does work, which is what the original poster wanted to know.

I think he probably has enough information in all these posts to make up his mind about it though. I've never had the front engine mount crack, and I do stress my vehicles quite a bit, especially when towing my boat which is probably far too large to tow with my car.

[85Jettaturbo]

Thanks for all the great responses!  I finally got around to changing out the starter and ordered a 3 bolt reman.  Imagine my surprise when I took the starter out and it was a two holer!  I'm a little embarased that I never looked that close before as I have been all over the rest of the engine.  The engine had dropped over an inch with the two hole starter and I had to jack it back up to get the new one to line up.  I have put over 80,000 on the engine and never did anything to the stater so it was in there for a while but I baby the clutch.  I'm just glad I got the right one in there now.  Thanks again to all.  This is a great forum.
Brent