Starter Information

[Mike]

-- Group Message from RICHARD SCHULZE <richard@eoa.com> --

Dear Kelly:

Solenoids rarely go bad except on Fords where the solenoid is not part

of a starter assembly. I have seen solenoids frequently mis-diagnosed.

In the case of Chevy starters, bad brushes disrupt the ground for the

solenoid hence the age old cure of hammering on the starter. The

vibration from hammering sometimes makes the brush contact better (at

least for a few times) and then the car will start. You should also

know that in the case of the $ 60 starter vs the $ 50 solenoid, a $

50 solenoid is not used to make a $ 60 starter. In Fact a $ 60 starter

is about 90% old parts most of which have only been cleaned and

painted. The parts that are usually replaced are the bushings, brushes,

and the solenoid. The brush contact area on the armature is usually

refaced (lathed down until smooth). This is all true unless you are

foolish enough to buy a starter from Auto Zone. They buy their

starters from Mexico for about $5 apiece and I have seen them with old

brushes, old bushings, old solenoids and un finished armatures. The

Zone will give you a lifetime warranty on your starter, which you will

need for the weekly failures. Buy a starter from a local rebuilder even

if it costs a few more bucks! Good Luck.

Richard Schulze

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[Jon, the BIG boy]

I'm coming in late on this topic but I thought I would just post this as general info, since I just went thru this.

I have a stock '72 240Z. It seemed that my starter was going bad. It would crank slower and slower, then finally would drain the battery....and I would hear that kiss-of-death sound "tick, tick, tick" indicating a dead battery.

With the 240Z model, it's a piece of cake to pull the starter...which I did. Once disassembled, it was apparent that the problem was worn brushes and dirty contact surfaces.

A new set of brushes costs about $5 from Kragan. With a small soldering iron and a piece of 0 gauge steel wool, I was able to replace the brushes, clean the contacts, and clean the core, etc.

After reinstalling, the starter seemed to crank faster than it did when it was on the showroom floor--28 years ago.

For $5 and about 2 hours of my time, I was able to solve the starting problem, keep my old reliable starter and increase my self-esteem immensely. :-)

Replacing the brush holder is a little tricky, but if I can do it, ANYONE can do it!