Hi there ! following on from rebuilding my engine i have a question regarding the starter motor ! my engine is fairly tight as absolutly everything is new inside ,and as my starter is looking really old ( very crusty on the outside) it sometimes struggles to turn it but does just about turn it over all be it a bit slower than normal ( bench testing ) engine does turn over freely though . it used to turn the engine before the rebuild fine but the old engine was almost knackered ( crank was worn , bearings , cam, end float ect) ) Was thining might be worth me buying a new starter but do you recon just a normal new unit would be ok or should i invest in a "high" torque starter ? the only ones i have seen are chrome jobbies and im not the biggest fan of shiney stuff Any recomendations if you please (type1 engine )
Have a go at stripping it first. Easy enough to take to bits. How tight is your engine? Slightly concerning...
Go with Snotty on that, if the starter turned the pre built engine it should turn the new. Have a go at stripping the starter motor its not hard and if it goes wobbly bits up then get a new or rebuilt one. Make sure there is a good chassis to engine earth cos if that is duff it will give starter problems.
I'd check all the heavy duty connections to make sure they're up to delivering full current. If that doesn't do it, go for a new (recon) unit for about £120 exchange. This was the route I took last year after several "trips" underneath the vehicle which I don't like doing. Got an unused starter for £95 via eBay and haven't looked back
My starter was very slow so i stripped and cleaned it and put a nice new fat earth lead on. Now its great. As the others have said its worth a go.
clean the brushes up with some emery. wet n dry. and also the armature. and clean the grooves out in the armature. check bearings are free running not sieze or broken. clean contacts up, and earth, should be good as a new ist one.
If its on the bench i'd wager that its your connections and the battery, not the starter. If it worked before it will work now without any appreciable difference. Unless you've built an F1 engine that is, in which case try putting a hot water jacket around the engine to warm things up a bit before you try to start it