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View Full Version : Get to know your starter.....



DETOURS
05-09-2009, 10:22 PM
Alrighty.......As of today, Crusty has been resurected......but first..I had to go through the starter, so I thought I'd share.

Your starter, I dont care what year your rig is......has'nt changed much since 1945, if you have a starter issue.....read this first, my repair cost $32.00 instead of $105.00 to replace with a NAPA unit, honestly I most likely did'nt even need to spend the $32.......but I figured what the heck.......

Lets do it, pull the starter-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6520.jpg

There lies Crusty's starter, again it's an 88 XJ, the '01's are basically the same, lets do a bench test.
Place the starter in a vice, clamping the aluminum housing 'only', it needs to be secure.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6522.jpg

Grab a battery and some jumper cables, connect the cables to the battery, the other end of the cables....clamp the ground to the vise, the positive your going to touch the lower or inside lug in an attempt to make the starter spin and determan it's problem......
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6521.jpg

In Crusty's case, the starter needed to be tapped on with a stick for it to spin, even then it was sluggish and lacked power........the item I spent $32.00 on was the siloniod......NAPA wanted $46.00, I bought mine off ebay from a retailer for the $32 smackers, shipped.......I chose USPS over UPS for shipping, it's cheaper and you gain a shipping day, Saturday....and sure enough it showed up today, Saturday!
Your siloniod-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6523.jpg

New siloniod-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6524.jpg

Siloniod removal is straight forward, remove the positive wire, and loosen/remove the 2 screws which hold it in place........
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6525.jpg

Once removed, compare your new part to the old, they should look alike, reinstall....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6526.jpg

Bench test again.......I was not happy with my second bench test, so I dug deeper.......this is easy stuff, take your time and follow along.
There are '2' bolt heads on the rear of your starter, these hold the armature, brush's assembly together, typically the bolts require a 1/4" socket to remove, the bolts them selves are about 6-7 inches long.......remove.
Break the assembly apart.........carefully.
Here you see the brush assembly which is held in the end cap-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6527.jpg

I can already see the problems, froozen brushes and an extremely dirty armature......remove the armature by pulling straight back, you'll feel resistantance, but thats from the magnetic field around it........remove.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6528.jpg

2 things to be aware of at this point, there is a single loose ball bearing at the end of the armature, dont loose it, in the end cap which retains the brushes, theres a flex-washer......dont loose it!
Ball-bearing-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6529.jpg

Time for clean up.....using electrical connection spray, spray and wipe down the armature, get all the dirt, grime and such off of it, wipe dry.

Starter housing, again with electrical connection cleaner spray......hose the inside of the housing as clean as possible. You'll notice this area is lined with magnets, you wont harm them with the cleaner, wipe clean & dry.

End cap which retains the brushes.......this is the business end, the brushes need to perform correctly......clean this area completely with the electrical connection cleaner......after doing so, inspect the brushes, they need to operate as if they were spring loaded......and they are spring loaded, the brush should freely slide back and forth in its retainer.........
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6530.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6531.jpg

If they dont move freely, use a little WD-40 and start working them until you get movement, spray cleaner...try to move them again, WD-40...try to move them again......and so on.......the brush WILL break if you dont take your time, work them slow.....when finshed....again spray the assembly with electrical cleaner....

Okay, you're now ready to reassemble.......the end cap brush assembly over the armature is first.....remember that little flex washer? place a small ammount of gease to one side of it, place it in the end cap....the grease will hold it in place...........slide the brushes back, one at a time and place the armature in the end cap, you'll be pulling brushes back and inserting th armature at the same time....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6532.jpg

Once the end cap is in place, your almost ready to slide it back into the housing......but 1st, remember that single ball bearing? nows the time to put it back where it belongs.....again, using grease.....apply grease to the end of the armature inwhich the bearing sit, apply ball bearing......the grease will hold it in place while reassembling...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6533.jpg

From here, simply slide the assembly back into the housing, there is one indicater which provides correct alignment, it's a square notch in the housing where the lead wire gromlet aligns......once lined up, reinsert your bolts, tighten a little better than snug........and rebench test.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/Detours/Techstuff/100_6534.jpg

My last bench test went fantastic, it performed as if it was new......I then installed it into the XJ (Crusty) which has'nt been turned over since last summer...........BAM! The ol'girl fired right off, the starter, again, performed like a new unit, results speak for themself.

When your starter fails, you might just need to clean it....... :thumbsup:

Brought to you by Crusty Corn :popcorn:, when in doubt......whip it out and fix it!

Mudderoy
05-09-2009, 10:26 PM
Excellent! Thanks.

DETOURS
05-09-2009, 10:31 PM
I think it took longer for me to write that than it did to break the starter down and reassemble.........:smiley-whacky097:

Mudderoy
05-10-2009, 12:48 AM
Documentation is horrible and tedious.

xjjeepthing
05-10-2009, 07:20 AM
Nice one , not bad for a guy that welds .

DETOURS
05-10-2009, 09:43 AM
I slept at a Holiday Inn Express the previous evening. :thumbsup:

cher96
05-14-2009, 10:37 AM
Nice job. When I lived up North, starters were always a problem. When my starter goes out here in Florida, I have to remember your write up.

DETOURS
05-14-2009, 10:06 PM
Not only that, but the fresh JOLT that comes with it cher96-

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f136/corncrawler/184686k78x297yc3.gif


GET OVER IT!!!!

cher96
05-14-2009, 11:11 PM
And they say you are not harassing me.

I guess you have no one else to be an A$$ H*le to. Lonely are we?

BlueXJ
05-14-2009, 11:17 PM
He must have the hots for you Vicki. Never seen him act like that before you came along.

cher96
05-14-2009, 11:41 PM
I found a match for his lonely soul.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p128/vettezilla/UglywomanKiss.gif

Melissa
05-15-2009, 12:11 AM
Spanky I don't know if I should cuss you or kiss you.

After reading your write up I walked outside to head to town and what do you know my jeep won't start. Thinking it must be the NSS that works sometimes I grabbed the ol by pass gizmo that I have, hooked it to the starter and the battery hit the button and nothing!! So since I actually have another brand new starter off of my old motor I had to spend the afternoon (cause I'm slow) changing the starter.

Now I am blaming you because your thread was the last one I read before I headed outside and I know it must be your fault somehow, not the fact that I have known for 2 months that I was going to get stranded because of the starter that was on it :D

Anyways I was lucky and had a starter but why didn't you do a write up before I had to buy the starter 8 months ago :smiley-laughing021:

muddeprived
05-15-2009, 05:38 AM
Spanky I don't know if I should cuss you or kiss you.

After reading your write up I walked outside to head to town and what do you know my jeep won't start. Thinking it must be the NSS that works sometimes I grabbed the ol by pass gizmo that I have, hooked it to the starter and the battery hit the button and nothing!! So since I actually have another brand new starter off of my old motor I had to spend the afternoon (cause I'm slow) changing the starter.

Now I am blaming you because your thread was the last one I read before I headed outside and I know it must be your fault somehow, not the fact that I have known for 2 months that I was going to get stranded because of the starter that was on it :D

Anyways I was lucky and had a starter but why didn't you do a write up before I had to buy the starter 8 months ago :smiley-laughing021:

Why didn't you wait till you read the write-up before buying that starter 8 months ago?


:)

Voldemort
05-15-2009, 12:27 PM
Nice I always just went out and bought parts like this when they went bad. But, this is al auto zone is doing to them when you bring in your core so now I know what to do the next time. Thanks

Mudderoy
05-15-2009, 12:31 PM
Nice I always just went out and bought parts like this when they went bad. But, this is al auto zone is doing to them when you bring in your core so now I know what to do the next time. Thanks

You may have had different experience with Auto Zoned, but I won't buy any replacement parts from them. My son bought an alternator, and 4 replacements later he got a refund and went to O'Reily's.

My in-laws have had the same issues, and that was from different stores.

I have a pretty short list, No Auto Zone, and No Rusty's. Just a FYI...

Voldemort
05-15-2009, 09:35 PM
I don't really go to Auto Bone, I go to advanced auto it is in walking distance.

afbond03
05-18-2009, 09:32 PM
Shoot that is a rip for a new starter. I picked up a new one at advanced about a month ago for no more than $65.

I almost forgot to read the write up, I scrolled down first.

TeXJ
05-24-2009, 04:04 PM
+1 on o'reily's.

Nice write-up by the way.