unsticking a starter

[1930artdeco]

Hello,

My starter got stuck in the on position a few days ago. Took it apart and cleaned it up and now it works just fine. Is there a way to keep this from happening? It only happens every so often but it is annoying when it happens.

Mike

[mcgarrett]

Are you referring to the starter motor itself or the starter foot switch?

[Brentwood Bob]

The shaft of the starter could be bent.

[Marshall V. Daut]

The shaft is probably slightly sprung. Take off the Bendix drive and apply a 6 volt battery current to the terminal and case as ground. The shaft should spin very fast without a trace of blurring. If the starter shaft blurs or jumps around due to imbalance, the shaft is bent and it will continue to jam against the ring gear occasionally, locking up the engine.
Marshall

[Marshall V. Daut]

Brentwood Bob and I think alike - and at the same time. He just types faster and uses fewer words than I do.
Marshall

[nkaminar]

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If the shaft is not bent, look at the ring gear to see if there is a section with some gubbered up teeth or whether the ring gear has moved away from the flange on the flywheel. If the ring gear is OK and the shaft is not bent then you could try a modern Bendix drive, available from the vendors.

[1930artdeco]

Sorry, I may not have given a clear enough description. The starter works fine but every so often the starter switch will stick in the ON position. This just keeps the starter spinning-no engaging the flywheel-just spinning. So I have to disconnect the battery to get it to stop. Then I take the switch off clean it and replace it and it works fine. Just curious as to what makes this happen and is there a way to cure it. I did notice that I did not have the little piece of paper between the switch and starter, which has since been added.

Thanks,

Mike

[Marshall V. Daut]

Even though the additional information would have prevented us posters from heading off in the wrong direction of diagnosing a starter-related problem, the suggestions posted may help others, whose starters are the problem. Not a waste of time or knowledge sharing.
In your case, the best thing you can do for your starter switch is what you have done so far: disassembly, inspection and cleaning, followed by a careful re-assembly. Ensure that no parts are rubbing against each other, which will affect the plunger return action. Make sure the brass strip is not installed cock-eyed and that it will travel the full distance without rubbing against the sides of the metal switch housing. Some repo strips are too wide and have very little tolerance for side-to-side misalignment. Check the plunging action manually by pressing on the switch's rod receptible several times. It should spring back easily without any hesitation. The rod receptible should not be floppy loose, nor tight in its bore.
Also make sure the starter rod is not getting stuck inside the firewall's rubber grommet. For some reason, all firewall grommet holes have been made too small for decades. They usually need to be reamed out a bit and lubricated. Try spraying some silicone lubricant on that firewall grommet to eliminate it from the list of possible starter switch hangups.
Marshall

[Brentwood Bob]

Here is a fuzzy YouTube I did on rebuilding the switch. There are better ones.
I have cores if you want to fix one up. A fun project.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBNoU0ZvLQ

[mcgarrett]

1930artdeco,
Check to make sure the copper stud and strip are in good alignment with each other, thoroughly clean the switch contact surfaces with a wire wheel, dress down any high spots with a file and then apply dielectric grease to the switch contacts. I was having this problem intermittently and this solved it. No more trouble.

[Y-Blockhead]

Some of the reproduction starter switches (Vintique again) don't have enough spring in the copper contact . Best to use an original switch and/or parts.

I saw somewhere (Tiny Tips maybe??) where someone suggest using a ½ piece of garden hose to act as a return spring.

Mine stuck a couple of weeks ago but it was partially my fault. We were on our way to our club's annual picnic. My engine didn't want to start. Instead of getting out and seeing what the issue was, I just kept cranking. Tack welded itself together... Reminder to myself, don't do that!!

Well, we left the Ol' Girl Home. Next day I discovered the carbon teet in the center of the distributor cap was GONE.