I have a hand impact driver and would like to see what happened inside my starter, but will the core be accepted for return if it shows evidence of being opened? Do they even look at them?

One more question please, why do some rebuilders require that a new glow plug relay and glow plugs be installed for their starters to be warrantied? This isn't a Bosch requirement, but an independent shop that sells on eBay. I went with Bosch.

They want to be sure you're not grinding the starter to death because of faulty glow plugs / relay .

That's a B.S. and chicken?$#it move because it's dead easy to test the glow plugs .

I'd avoid that shop in the future .

Most places don't give a rat's butt about cores as long as they're fully assembled and not physically broken .

Once in a while some partshaus' will try to cheat you out of your core charge by claiming the core was opened /damaged / whatever .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

In your thirst for knowledge you might have to pony up the cost of 2 replacement screws that hold the Solenoid in. After that I don't see how you could cause any damage.

The aluminum end cap at the rear of the starter is not very sturdy but you should have no issues taking a look. If you had to remove the rear bearing and install a new in that end cap that would be a different story.

None of the bearings on mine looked worn to any obvious degree.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Well, I'm back on the road. All problems with starter run-on, arcing, smoke and no start are resolved. The removal and replacement itself isn't so bad, but if you have 38 years of caked-on oil and grease deposits, it is dirty work. An experienced mechanic with a lift should be able to do the job in a couple of hours. I could probably do it in twice that time having now done it before. My glow plugs and relay are good and my battery is new but I do want to test my alternator. Thanks for the help.

What resolved the problem?

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel