Author Topic: Rebuilt starter free spinning? (Read 4369 times)

rabbitman · « **on:** December 03, 2008, 12:00:07 am »

Ok, for the last few years I've had problems with my starter free spinning on cold mornings like -30F and colder but it only did it once in a while so I didn't worry about it. But about two months ago it got a lot worse , so I went to a electric rebuilding shop and bought a starter drivegear, 4 new brushes, the rear bushing and the bushing that goes in the block. All that for $40, I figured it was cheaper than another starter. By the way, during the time I had the diesel starter apart I was using a vw 1.6 gas starter, worked fine just a bit slower in the cold.

I thought the free spinning issue was the clutch in the drivegear slipping. But now it's doing it again :x , on cold mornings I go to start it and it goes wrrrrrrrclunkgrind and then I let up and try again. Usually it takes like two trys before it stays engaged long enough to start. I'm afraid if it keeps doing this it'll wreck my new flywheel.

I can't see why a new gear would malfunction. So now I'm thinkin' it's the solenoid messing up, like letting the starter spin before it yanks the drivegear out.
The bentley says the starter can't spin untill the gear is engaged, I had my solenoid off and I could see that when the plunger in retracted it pushes a button which sends power to the starter motor, maybe the solenoid is toast. The starter works perfect when the engine is warm and in the summer, it's just once the engine freezes up that it messes up.
If anyone's found a cure for this kind of problem I'd really like to hear it, unless it involves my buying a new starter

zukgod1 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 03, 2008, 07:48:34 am »

Sounds like the solenoid to me, did you try to lube it up when you had it apart?
Just sounds like it's not fully extending.

rabbitman · « **Reply #2 on:** December 25, 2008, 12:07:54 am »

Well I was dumb when I rebuilt it, I greased the splines on the shaft that the gear rides on so in cold weather it's too stiff to slide out fast enough so the spring that pushes the gear out just compresses and lets it spin. I took the starter out and dribbled some gas into the splines and it fixed it for a little while but since my rear crank seal leaks it got oiled again and is sticking.

So I need to yank the tranny.

smutts · « **Reply #3 on:** January 19, 2009, 02:09:03 pm »

I had a similar hassle with my ancient Datsun, If the gear that rides on the rifled splines had worn and got used to each other. If it was assembled different without the mating splines being matched to their original positions, it would stick. Just a thought. :wink:

madrogers · « **Reply #4 on:** January 19, 2009, 06:20:09 pm »

you used a gas statred while you where fixing the other one , my problem is that i mixed up my starters and do not know witch is the diesel one my guess is that one of them is a littel longer in the body of it , was there a phisical difference in the two you have?

Rabbit TD · « **Reply #5 on:** January 19, 2009, 09:30:03 pm »

Quote from: "smutts"

I had a similar hassle with my ancient Datsun, If the gear that rides on the rifled splines had worn and got used to each other. If it was assembled different without the mating splines being matched to their original positions, it would stick. Just a thought. :wink:

Yes that sounds like that could cause it, sliding things are funny that way. I'm not sure how the clutches are on these things if they come the whole way apart or come off as a unit. A person could dissasemble it again and use some oiled 180 or so wet-dry paper and smooth it up a little too and see if that fixses it. I think I would at least do that too if it was coming off again anyway.

rabbitman · « **Reply #6 on:** January 21, 2009, 08:42:23 am »

Yeah, on mk1's the diesel starter is longer, I don't know about mk2.