Overhauling the starter motor.

[AlanBartlett]

Is there any literature or guides around on how to clean up, service a starter motor? Have just had to change mine as suddenly stopped working, have yet to figure out why, so would like to service one of my two to put back on and fully reliable unit.

[Keith Andrews]

Replace the end bearings /bushes.....If these are worn the armiture can be thrown to close to the magnetic feilds to work effectivily
Replace the bushes....worn bushes to the same as the above
The area where the bushes 'ride' on the armiture should be turned down smooth on a lath....If dont have a lathe, dont worry.
Take a leather boot lace, some wet and 320 grit sandpaper and some kerosene. Cut a strip of sandpaper wide enough to wrap around the contact area and cover it, 1st wet everything down with the kero....wrap the boot lace around then by pulling on each end spin the sandpaper.
Check the armiture for dry solder joints, yrs ago most auto sparkies had what was called a 'growler' which checked continuity....but such little machines seemed to have disappeared in this modern world....so heat up the armiture in the oven till quite hot to touch and then check continyinty of solder joints.
Now the Benex spring/gear...dismantle and check for no broken or worn parts, clean up in kero and reassemble...DO NOT oil /grease or lubricate in ANY WAY....reassemble dry.

If the soldenoid is part of the starter..well should be checked too...
check continuity in the soleniod coil as above
Check the electical contacts are in good condition..these can get very burnt/worn.

Keep in mind, a starter motor can pull well over 900 amps in the 1st couple milli secs, thats one hell of a lot of energy which a lot gets transered into heat...hence checking continuity of soldered joints.

And last always have battery cables and the lugs in good clean condition.
Old battery cables, espec those on old cars may look good, and contacts new, but peel that insulation back and one finds the surface of the cable strands discoloured/corroded.....heat generated over yrs of use and miss use.
Rem current, electricity, those little electron run down the surface of the strands, not down the middle of the copper...If that surface is not clean shiney copper then it is a big ressistance wire....which often cant be measured with an ordinary OHM meter....the current used in the Ohm meter is tiny, a few electrons flowing....but get a big current flowing and that resistance has a big effect.
Electricity is like water in a pipe...Voltage is pressure, current is flow rate, the surface area of the wire (strands) the pipe diameter.

This is also a very similar proceedure for generators and alternators.
A rebuilt one can cost $150 + a kit to rebuild $25 and an hr of your time.

[AlanBartlett]

I now think its to do with my push button solenoid i have mounted in the engine bay, as the same thing happened again tonight with the other starter, luckily was able to crank it to get it going. its funny what you miss when you can't do something, was a little inconvinence.

[Keith Andrews]

If u think it is the solenoid contacts or switch, simply ...with an OLD screw driver...'short/bypass by jumping the contacts on the back.
Yep as Imwentioned before the intial current draw can be quite high, hence using an old screw driver, it often wreaks the blade.

OH and a 'give a way ' check the batter lead terminals, find which one is getting warm/hot...and that is where things are wrong...dirty terminals, leads etc.

[Tony Fearn]

Hello Alan.

Why have you put a solenoid in the system? Surely it just adds an extra problem. The starter button should be in the middle of the instrument panel. The wiring diagram I have in my Personal Album in the Gallery just shows a very simple system.

https://jowettnet/forum/download/file.p ... &mode=view

[Keith Andrews]

Have you removed the earth lead from the starter to the chassis and rubbed the chassis

note on this....
It is very important espec on a restore/rebuild project to replace all star washers....these are those washers that wonders what they are for and decide they are like a lock waher....no. They are designed with those sharpe edges to dig thru paint layer and make good contacts /grounds....they also flatten out on use, which meand reusing on a new paint job they dont work....I also strongly suggest using stainless, bit more expensive, but the number u will use, relating to the over cost is peanuts to say the least....

Its a bit like using cheap veggie oil on the BBQ instead of more expensive olive oil.....then when on relates the extra cost over a whole summer season the concept of 'saving ' sort of becomes reduclous lol

[AlanBartlett]

It was just dirty contact on the earth strap to the chassis, have got hold of some serrated washers now to put with it to make a better connection, found that the earth lead was getting warm when i pushed the starter button, all seems to be well again.

Tony, ive got a cut out switch inside the car under the dash, was one of the first things i put, within easy reach from the the drivers seat, the solenoid has always been on the car as far as i remember, i know its not original, but just kept it in the system, makes it a little easier to start when your fiddling around in the engine bay, though if i do get another problem, hopefully not, will go back to original wiring to the button inside the car and take it out.