John :
Was there a period of time when the starter would sound like it was
slipping, and then grab and start turning the engine without grinding ?
If so, the rubber sleeved drive unit (Moss P/N 549-580) is bad. It
seems to be a common failure. BFE used to sell an improved "fail-safe"
drive, but I may have gotten the last one.
Another possibility is that the Bendix screw is hanging up. I had this
problem recently, and no amount of cleaning, lubricating, filing, etc.
seemed to solve the problem for more than a few weeks. I finally
substituted the screw and nut from another core starter, which seems
to've solved the problem. But, at least in my case, this failure was
accompanied by much grinding of teeth, as apparently the screw would
finally extend the pinion, after it was spinning too fast to engage the
flywheel. It was easy to see the problem on the bench, by connecting
the starter to a car battery (temporarily removed from a friend's car,
Thanks Dana) and watching the pinion move. Hold the starter firmly (or
clamp it down somehow), otherwise it will jump all over the place.
Yet another possibility is that the drive mechanism has come apart, and
is no longer engaged to the armature. I've also had this failure
recently, the side of one of the circlip grooves on the shaft just "went
away", allowing the entire drive mechanism to slide down the shaft and
out of engagement with the armature.
A replacement is certainly the quick solution, but even rebuilt early
starters are becoming scarce and expensive. Several people sell a gear
drive replacement that supposedly works even better than the original,
but looks nothing like it.
I went the opposite route, and Randall's starter problems have become
something of a local joke. I've changed starters every few weeks since
last July, but I believe I've finally managed to make one reliable.
When you reassemble, be sure that the long brush lead is placed so it
cannot contact the armature, nor is pulled tightly across a brush
holder.
Randall
59 TR3A daily driver TS39781LO
john moore wrote:
>
> HELLO All! I have a tr3A, TS38092L, with the starter with the half nose
> cone that protruded into the bell housing. It would spin, but not engage
> the flywheel,, I removed and cleaned up and it worked for a few weeks, same
> thing. Now cleaning does not help. Armature spins rapidly, but does not
> crank the motor.... Do I simply need to replace it? Any and ALL advice is
> GREATLY appreciated... MERRY CHRISTMAS!
>
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