After finally finding out that the no cranking problem was not the battery,
or the wiring, or the charging system, or the starter itself, but was in
fact a starter solenoid that clicked loudly but didn't allow enough current
to engage or turn the starter, I wondered exactly what could go wrong so
quickly with such a simple device. After all, it was only a few years old.
So I took it apart to see just what the problem was. Turns out that its a
poor design which allowed carbon to build up on the contacts, and on one
set so much that it was entirely black effectively rendering it useless for
any significant current handling capacity (the contact design should scrub
themselves clean when in operation, something this design obviously did not
do). Anyway, I was wondering if using a capacitor, similar to the one
across the points would cut this arcing to a minimum and provide a much
longer solenoid life. I realize the solenoid is a relatively easy item to
replace, and not terribly expensive, but it is an inconvenience to be stuck
anywhere and if this would prevent this type of failure from occurring, it
would be well worth it.
What do ya think? It's certainly easy enough to do -
Barry Schwartz (San Diego)
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.371 / Virus Database: 267.13.12/194 - Release Date: 12/7/2005
=== This list supported in part by The Vintage Triumph Register
=== http://www.vtr.org
|