Help me fix my starter

[dieselfuelonly]

Hey guys, I was thinking about posting this in the Yanmar section, but I figured its a general problem so anyone who knows about starters could probably help me.

Anyway, here is my problem:

Every once and a while (every 2-5 starts) my starter will not engage the flywheel. I turn the key and get a bunch of grinding. So it is not sticking, it is trying to make contact, but not fully.

If it does that, I will "bump" the starter by turning the key to start and back again really fast. MOST of the time it will then engage. Then I try to start it normally again and sometimes it will catch and other times it won't.

The very first time it happened I took the starter off to see if there were damaged teeth on the flywheel or starter. Flywheel was fine, starter had obviously had some wear on as expected, but it was not worn enough that it shouldn't have been engaging.

So my guess is that sometimes whatever mechanism that causes the starter to throw the starter gear out to make contact with the flywheel is not letting the gear out far enough/fast enough to mesh the the gears on the flywheel and turn it over sometimes.

But that is just my newbie guess.

Can anyone give me some advice?

Thanks!

Dennis

 

[dsgsr]

Dennis, Sounds like the starter needs a clutch kit. If you're mechanically inclined it's pretty easy to replace one. DON'T go to the John Deere store to get it. Go to a local Starter/alternator repair shop and have them either repair it or order you a new one, (around $100.00 plus shipping). The JD store was asking $300. for the kit when I was looking and $600. for a new starter. Found I could get a new Starter for around 250. plus shipping. My John Deere/Yanmar tractor has a Denso starter on it, so yours may be also.

David

 

[dbdartman]

Dennis, before you spend any money on a starter or parts, I'd pull the starter off, disassemble the solenoid, clean it inside, & clean & lubricate the shaft the starter gear rides on. Sounds to me like the shaft or solenoid is dirty & not pulling the starter gear fully onto the ring gear. It won't cost you any money (just time & don't we all have plenty of that ), could fix your problem, & if it doesn't, then you have experience (which is what you get right after you needed it... ).

Good luck!

 

[dieselfuelonly]

Thanks for the help guys.

Do you have any links on starter repair that could guide me?

I know nothing about them.

 

[SnowRidge]

Dennis, before you spend any money on a starter or parts, I'd pull the starter off, disassemble the solenoid, clean it inside, & clean & lubricate the shaft the starter gear rides on. Sounds to me like the shaft or solenoid is dirty & not pulling the starter gear fully onto the ring gear. It won't cost you any money (just time & don't we all have plenty of that ), could fix your problem, & if it doesn't, then you have experience (which is what you get right after you needed it... ).

Good luck!

Been there, done that, and saved a bundle.

Just start unbolting things. It's the best way to learn.

 

[Botabill]

Sounds like a solinoid problem to me as well. Cleaning and lubricating may do it. I had a car once that the same would happen to it. Apparently it was a common problem in that make of car and a mechanic showed me how to tap the starter with a hammer if it wouldn't engage. Worked everytime. I never fixed it but I always carried hammer in the car to tap the starter every few months when it acted up. I recently bought a CASE 446. Same thing happens on it once in a while. I just tap the starter and away it goes. I may fix it someday when I have nothing better to do.

 

[SnowRidge]

Sounds like a solinoid problem to me as well. Cleaning and lubricating may do it. I had a car once that the same would happen to it. Apparently it was a common problem in that make of car and a mechanic showed me how to tap the starter with a hammer if it wouldn't engage. Worked everytime. I never fixed it but I always carried hammer in the car to tap the starter every few months when it acted up. I recently bought a CASE 446. Same thing happens on it once in a while. I just tap the starter and away it goes. I may fix it someday when I have nothing better to do.

I have a Poulan lawn tractor with a Brigs I/C engine. It does that same thing every now and then, and the cure is the same, a tap with a hammer. I even taught my wife where to whack it, if it wouldn't start.

So far, I haven't bothered to pull that one to clean and lube it.

 

[Bird]

It does that same thing every now and then, and the cure is the same, a tap with a hammer. I even taught my wife where to whack it, if it wouldn't start.

I haven't had that work since my 1970 Oldmobile Delta 88. But like several other posters in this thread, the last starter I worked on was on my brother's Suzuki Sidekick. It wouldn't start at all, so we removed the starter for him to take it with him when he went to buy a new one. However, I decided to take it apart first to see if I could tell what was wrong with it; didn't find anything wrong with it besides being dirty and when cleaned up, it worked just fine and we re-installed it.

 

[dieselfuelonly]

Thanks for the help guys. I guess the first thing I will try is the next time the starter acts up just give it a tap with a hammer. Where exactly should I tap it, on the area on top of the starter (I'm assuming thats the solenoid) or the starter case itself?

If that doesn't cure the problem (or fix it on the first tap ), then I will take it off the tractor and take a look for anything obviously wrong and maybe try to lubricate it some.

Next would be to take it to a place that works on starters, unless it is a very simple process to take it apart, fix it, and put it back together.

Thanks for the help ya'll!

Dennis

 

[SnowRidge]

Thanks for the help guys. I guess the first thing I will try is the next time the starter acts up just give it a tap with a hammer. Where exactly should I tap it, on the area on top of the starter (I'm assuming thats the solenoid) or the starter case itself?

If that doesn't cure the problem (or fix it on the first tap ), then I will take it off the tractor and take a look for anything obviously wrong and maybe try to lubricate it some.

Next would be to take it to a place that works on starters, unless it is a very simple process to take it apart, fix it, and put it back together.

Thanks for the help ya'll!

Dennis

Tap the starter case.

They generally aren't hard to work on. Disassembly should be obvious. Pro labor usually costs too much to get them to clean and lube it. They will almost always replace it. Save some money and do it yourself.