RB30 Patrol starter motor & R31 Skyline compatibility

[dom14]

Hey guys,

RB30 Patrol starter motor & R31 Skyline starter motor.
Are they compatible?!
If not, can the R31 starter be modified to suit RB30 Patrol?

Thanx in advance for any advice.

[Col.T]

G'day Dom,
not getting far are you.
That's one hell of a kweschun there. Suspect no reply is due to no one trying it till now.
Reckon you'd need access to manuals with all the electrical, volty, ampy, torquey data to get an idea of usability of the R31 unit on a Patrol.
That's after working out if it would fit anyway and seems you'll only find that out by testing a fit.
Maybe a specialist Nissan wrecker could help but I reckon you'll be spending a lot of time on the web.
Good luck,
Col

[dom14]

G'day Dom,
not getting far are you.
That's one hell of a kweschun there. Suspect no reply is due to no one trying it till now.
Reckon you'd need access to manuals with all the electrical, volty, ampy, torquey data to get an idea of usability of the R31 unit on a Patrol.
That's after working out if it would fit anyway and seems you'll only find that out by testing a fit.
Maybe a specialist Nissan wrecker could help but I reckon you'll be spending a lot of time on the web.
Good luck,
Col

Hi Col,
Thanx for the response. I think I know it now. R31 starter is apparently compatible with RB30 Patrol.
People have tried it.
It just need the plug changed. That's all the modification it need.

VL Commodore starter is apparently not compatible. Different size splines both on the starter and the fly wheel, I reckon.

I think I asked a pretty valid question, 'cos engine's are the same.
So, there's very good chance they are compatible or compatible after a minor modification.

My starter is fine atm. I just wanted to keep a cheap spare one as a backup just in case, and didn't wanna buy a new one.

Cheers
Dom

[Col.T]

Good one Dom,
swapping plugs is not a major job.
Must say though I don't usually worry about a spare starter.
Done over 400K in 2 Patrols with no sign if wear so guess I'll keep hoping.
Regards,
Col

[dom14]

Good one Dom,
swapping plugs is not a major job.
Must say though I don't usually worry about a spare starter.
Done over 400K in 2 Patrols with no sign if wear so guess I'll keep hoping.
Regards,
Col

Hi Col,
Yeah, I use to think that way up until couple of years ago.
I went on a Central Oz trip and the starter was working fine throughout the trip.
No sign of struggling.
It was during the middle of the winter.
I came home(Melbourne) and very next morning tried to crank the motor and the starter was struggling.
It was pretty wet weather in Melbourne.
Very lucky not to experience that during the long trip.
I had the starter rebuilt since then. I don't think it will fail anytime soon.
But I prefer to be prepared just in case.
For example, in case I have to use the starter to move the car and can end up cooking the starter.
Then it would be handy to have a spare one.
Since it's a not a heavy spare part, it won't hurt to carry a one in the back of the car. :)
I'm just going to buy a one from a wrecker when I get a chance and keep it as a backup.
Cheers
Dom

[Robo]

Why don't you have a look a ebay , surely ebay rb30 starters "new" would be cheap enough.
put the new 1 in and reco your one and save it for a rainy day.

[dom14]

Why don't you have a look a ebay , surely ebay rb30 starters "new" would be cheap enough.
put the new 1 in and reco your one and save it for a rainy day.

I found the the new RB30 starters are prohibitively expensive. TB42 starters are available for a better price.
Not many RB30 Patrol new starters are available out there. Not many are buying it 'cos reconditioning or buying a used one is cheaper.

Most of the time starters fail due to dust and soot build up. Opening them up and giving a good clean & lube fixes the problem(But a pretty sooty job for sure)
When I sent mine to the sparky, he informed me that it only needed a good clean & was happy to hand it back to me for a DIY.
I opted to get it fully reconditioned for the reliability's sake. It's not that easy to push start a Patrol. :D