    
Ivan Garcia
New User
Username: ivangt
Post Number: 1
Registered: 06-2026
| | Posted on Thursday, 18 June, 2026 - 10:36: |    |
I am trying to reinstall the starter motor on my 1990 left-hand-drive Bentley Turbo R, chassis 31527.
The car has the two-bolt starter and the catalytic-converter exhaust arrangement with the warm-up catalytic converter beside the starter.
I previously removed the original starter successfully, but only after separating the solenoid from the starter body. Unfortunately, I did not record the exact orientation or sequence of movements that allowed the starter body to pass through the opening.
I now have a British high-torque replacement starter. Its mounting footprint and overall dimensions are very close to the original, and its solenoid is slightly shorter. However, I cannot get the starter body through the available space.
I have also tried putting the original starter body back through, again with the solenoid removed, and I cannot reproduce the movement that allowed it to come out.
On this LHD car, the steering column and steering linkage are not the obstruction. The interference is clearly from the warm-up catalytic converter assembly, particularly the large downward outlet elbow and the nearby wastegate-bypass connection.
The downstream exhaust pipes were removed before I removed the original starter, and the warm-up converter remains in the same position.
I have tried:
* Rear of the starter upward first
* Pinion end first
* Mounting flange edge-on
* Rotating the starter around its longitudinal axis
* Passing one mounting ear through before the other
* Different clocking positions on the replacement starter
It comes very close in several positions, but I cannot rotate the complete starter body and mounting flange past the warm-up converter.
Has anyone personally replaced the starter on a 1989–1991 LHD catalytic Turbo R in this chassis range?
I would particularly appreciate knowing:
1. Is there a precise sequence of movements—the “starter dance”—that allows it to pass without disturbing the warm-up catalytic converter?
2. Does the warm-up converter have to be loosened or removed?
3. If it must be removed, is the practical access mainly from above, below, or both?
4. Is there an official Rolls-Royce/Bentley workshop procedure for this exact LHD catalytic configuration?
The original starter definitely came out with only the solenoid separated, so there must be a way to reproduce it. Any description, drawing, photograph, or first-hand experience would be greatly appreciated. |