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Sat Aug 13, 2016 10:01 pm

Just wanted to give a shout out for the Go Westy Gear Reduction starter. I replaced my factory starter on my '85 manual trans Westy and I cannot tell you how pleased I am with this upgrade. I wasn't cheap (about $300), but I was sick of buying crappy Auto Zone rebuilt factory units that barely turned over my Subie EJ22 engine. Great product, guys!!!!

Sat Aug 13, 2016 11:01 pm

mine went bad, my mechanic tells me he has seen more go bad than he can count
just sayin

Sun Aug 14, 2016 5:52 am

The TDI starter combined with the adapter from Karl at WestyVentures is more powerful, cheaper and doesn't tie you to a single vendor if you run into problems a few years down the road.

I have had about a dozen people contact me to ask if installing a hard start relay would help after the latest version of the GW starter crapped out on them. Unfortunately a relay kit won't do anything to reanimate an expensive starter that is already dead.

It's also worth noting that GW won't warranty the gear reduction starter when used with any engine conversion...

Sun Aug 14, 2016 7:16 am

I'll second the TDI starter route. OMG, I swear the engine cranks at idle speed. Hats off to Karl for making the mounts.

Of course, larger ground and power cables do help too.

Sun Aug 14, 2016 7:55 am

i 3rd the tdi starter and westy venture adapter, i've too many trouble with the high torque starter junk, i will not fit another.
if they were heavier they may be useful as boat anchors.

Sun Aug 21, 2016 7:28 pm

Those Gowesty starters are junk. They're a very common and very cheap solid state starter that exists on the market for a bunch of applications (though they may be having them made or slightly modified for this application).
My starter rebuilder guy has an actual dedicated trash can for these, as he sometimes takes some parts off them.
He figures he throws out a couple hundred a year. (again, the common "parent" starter to this, not necessarily "THIS" product)

Junk.

Sun Aug 21, 2016 8:00 pm

thatvwbusguy wrote:
It's also worth noting that GW won't warranty the gear reduction starter when used with any engine conversion...

How would they know? and what would the difference be between engines?

I have a GW high torque starter that i've had for about 4 years. Not sure I would buy another. (Bought it before my engine conversion), but it's served me pretty well. I'm hoping it keeps doing it's job!

Mon Aug 22, 2016 7:29 am

I've had one for eleven years and it still does what it's supposed to do.

Mon Aug 22, 2016 3:07 pm

I 4th and 5th the SR0408X starter. Get one when your GW starter craps out so you don't have to buy another one of the same.

Mon Aug 29, 2016 4:41 pm

The Hi-Torque Gear-Reduction Starters are a very smart design. They are USA built with high quality parts, and prove to be exceptionally reliable. While we cannot speak to other gear-reduction starters produced by other companies, we continue to have excellent performance and longevity with the product that Hi-Torque builds to our specs.

For those that wish to learn more about our history with these starters, and the engineering that drives them, we have a very detailed article posted in our tech library, found here: http://www.gowesty.com/tech-article-details.php?id=141

Contrary to some previous poster's opinions, our starters are not junk, nor are they being "thrown away by the hundreds." If they couldn't perform reliably, and for many years, we would not sell them. In fact, we could not afford to sell them. It's just that simple.

It is also important to consider that our "opinion" in based on fifteen years of sales and warranty metrics. :D

Taylor Grant
VP GoWesty

Mon Aug 29, 2016 5:48 pm

Nicely said Taylor. Mine has been great. I would ask samba members to please be respectful of the amount of time and energy vendors put into keeping our 30 year old rigs in the road and not post pejorative 3rd hand opinions and conjecture. It adds nothing to this excellent community

Mon Aug 29, 2016 5:54 pm

Denso starters are - or were - made in Japan and China. Perhaps that has changed, or IMI uses a base starter from Denso and adds their application-specific nose?

My adaptor prototype came about as a result of an unhappy IMI starter customer, after three failures in under 50K miles. This was on a 1.9 turbodiesel using the old Overland installation parts kit, which used an adaptor plate to bolt the engine to a wbx bell housing. The TDI starter not only produces more torque but faster cranking speed, and is rebuildable. Like everything, some users may have different experiences. Those with higher-compression engines tend to have best luck with the Bosch TDI starter, long-term.

Mon Aug 29, 2016 6:27 pm

Yes Karl, as we noted in our article, failures were common years ago. Those early issues have long since been addressed, and reliability has been excellent. That said, if one sells enough of something, even the best products can occasionally fail prematurely. TDI starters are no exception to this. It is great that you offer folks another viable alternative to the original Bosch unit. The more options the better!

And yes, they are made in the USA using domestic and imported components, and we consider 100% new to be a good thing. They can also be rebuilt by IMI if required, they spin fast enough, and make plenty of torque for any engine that might be found under the deck lid of a Vanagon.

Keep up the great work Karl. You offer some great alternatives across the board, and I know the community at large appreciates you for it.

Cheers

Mon Aug 29, 2016 6:40 pm

TaylorGrant wrote:
they spin fast enough, and make plenty of torque for any engine that might be found under the deck lid of a Vanagon.
Cheers

Please explain this as it relates, perhaps?

"This starter is NOT warranted when used in conjunction with engine conversions (Bostig, Subaru, etc.)."

Mon Aug 29, 2016 7:10 pm

Seems like this thread has run its course…

Mon Aug 29, 2016 7:12 pm

You make a good point, but just because this starter can do the job, does not mean it should. Similarly, just because one can perform an engine conversion, but that does not necessarily mean they should.

Like several other parts we offer, we choose to warranty these for the waterboxer only. As you know, the waterboxer crowd is really our target demographic. While these starters can (and do) perform well for conversions, it makes more sense for us, and IMI, to guarantee them behind the power plants that they were designed for. When you have seen all the crazy conversions we have seen over the years, you would understand why we just stick to what we know works. If someone wants to stuff a small block V8 in their Syncro, and run one of our starters, that's cool, but don't expect a warranty. Plus, no warranty on the transaxle either!

In general, conversion folks go elsewhere for their special needs. In some cases our lack of coverage for conversions only serves to drive the sales of your TDI/adapter product. In fact, I have been aware of your offering for some time, and have directed several potential customers directly to you. I hope it generated a sale or two.

Again, options are good for everyone. :wink:

Mon Aug 29, 2016 8:39 pm

I've had my Go Westy starter for more than ten years.

Me likey. It spinneth and my Doka starteth. I also have the relay/wires from ThatVWbusguy.

I post this merely as more data.

Chuey

Mon Aug 29, 2016 8:55 pm

Mine is working fine..
<knocks on wood>
Been several yrs now.
Winter snow to desert heat. Combined with new injectors, and refurbed ignition.
Starts immediately.. every time.
Can ya dig it?

Sat Feb 24, 2018 6:02 am

Hi everyone -

Really quick question. I'm about to install GW Gear Reduction Starter in 85 Vanagon w/ Auto trans.

Does it matter which connector accepts the red/gray wire in the attached photo? I'm thinking it goes into the connector shown on the left and the yellow wire goes into the connector shown on the right, but want to confirm, as no instructions came with the unit. Thank you.

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Sat Feb 24, 2018 7:01 am

Unless the photo is not accurate, those plugs share the same wire, so it won't make any difference.