Hi Rick,
I'm not sure I can be of direct help with your problem, but I've had a couple of "starter" related problems on my MkIV which may be worth sharing.
1, The solenoid can fail which means the starter remains switched on and engaged with the ring gear even when you are driving the car. The first you may know of it is the smell of hot electrics or the sound of a distressed starter motor as you pull up at the lights[
]. I've been told the solenoid is from a mini and is just not up to the job. The fix is to fit a Mustang unit and the problem is solved.
2, For a while the car became unreliable when starting, sometimes it would be fine and sometimes when I turned the key it would just go click[
]. The problem was traced to the connection between the battery and the isolator under the dashboard. It looked fine and looked like a good connection, but on investigation when the insulation was peeled back there were only a couple of wire threads in contact with the solenoid terminal. The solution was to make a new connection and the problem was solved.
3, I used to run a (Rover V8 engine)TVR and they are well known for cooking their starters, the common fix is to wrap the starter in heat shielding material.
4, Each time I leave the car parked for more than a few days I use the battery isolator under the dashboard. So far (touch wood) I have been able to leave the car for weeks or months at a time and it starts fine once the battery is reconnected.
Hope some of this helps.
Cheers - John.
