[Shotimes] Re: Shotimes] Clarification on: SHO cranking but not startin

[George Fourchy]

On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 15:57:16 -0500 (EST), Tom Smith wrote:

>I have had the same condition for over 7 years. There seems to
>be a bad spot on the starter, Next key twist, starter engages,
>engine starts. Still waiting for it to totally crap out.

That whining sound is the starter turning at full speed, but the drive is not
engaging the flywheel.  As they age, the clutch mechanism inside the drive will get
dirty and gummy, and will occasionally not 'grab' when the starter turns, so it will
slip on the flywheel, even though the gears are engaged.  It is replaceable by you,
if you are careful in taking the starter apart.  If the armature comes out of the
body too far when you take the drive end off, after removing the two 'thru' bolts
that hold the whole thing together, you will dislodge the brushes, and you might as
well overhaul the whole thing, or take it in as a core.  But if you carefully remove
just the business end, you can swap the drive with a new one, for about 15 bucks and
45 minutes of labor.  You need to remember that the brushes and armature have worn
just like the drive has worn, but you can get a year or two more out of the starter
this way.

Lowrider went 7 years or so on its original starter, then it started doing this once
a month or so.  When it did it twice in two weeks, I pulled it and replaced the
drive.  It lasted a couple more years, then the brushes wore out and it quit
altogether, after giving me one more 'to the death' start in a shopping center
parking lot to get me home.  (I could definitely tell by its sound that it was
dying.)

>From what Jim is describing, I don't think this is his problem, but there is a
remote possibility.

George