HOW to REBUILD Starter Motors and HOW they Work

How and When you should rebuild a starter.

Car Won't start?

WHAT SOUNDS MEAN WHAT:
Rapid clicking when key is turned to start:
-Dead/low battery (charge battery and try again)
-Dirty terminals/connections (clean connections)

Single loud Click/Clunk sound when key is turned to start
-Relay is engaging and kicking bendix out but not sending power to motor
-Motor is getting power but brushes are worn and not contacting(light tapping with hammer may give you 1 more start)

You hear the motor spin but it doesn't engage engine
-Bendix Gear not being pulled and or worn out Bendix Drive

SUPPORT THE CHANNEL or support the SHOP DOG's treat addiction:

[LateIWon]

You did such a good job at explaining everything I mainly just commenting to healthy algorithm for you LOL

[denisewilson]

I came to youtube to find a video on rebuilding a starter for my LeSabre hoping to teach my daughter's like. My daddy taught me back in the 80's when I was like 12 or 13. Sadly he passed when i was 17. I hated having to sit there and watch and listen to him teach me(teenagers right) now I'm blessed he had shown me so much stuff to do with cars & motorcycles. Thanks for making this video. It brought back sad but heart warming memories. Now I can pass this knowledge on to my daughters.

[Bigcheif]

Love this video. Brought back many memories of me as a 14 year old trying to get one starter built out 2 or 3 other ones. Learned a lot about starters that way.

[jonathan]

Sometimes brushes can be held back with a loop of wire. Cut them and pull the wire out once the motor is back together.

[ZippoVarga]

The Spacers you reference are actually called Shunts, and they terminate the magnets ability to leech past it. The reason is, each magnets is alternated N/S-S/N-N/S-S/N on the "can" housing. Much like on the older starters with the electro magnets, only the Shunt on those are inside the copper wrap. The GM version of Reduction Gear Starters are called PG260 for Planetary Gear Starter. I worked at Delco Remy for 9 years before the Mexican/Canadian NAFTA treaty was enacted and I was involved in every aspect of manufacturing from the Bendix components and assembly to the Relay Solenoids to manufacturing the Armatures, cans, magnets, shunts....the list goes on and on. In the waning days of Delco in Anderson Indiana, I was the sole Starter Generator re-manufacturer and 9/10ths of repairs were either brush related or bearing/bushing related. Great walk through Moe! Takes me back. Cheers! Zip~

[Impuritan]

And still out of over the 100 channels I’m subscribed to this is still my favorite one.

[ralphwaters]

My '87 Mustang came stock with the old style direct-drive motor that had field windings with full power switched by a fender-mounted solenoid (relay). When it failed, I used one for a later year (such as '93) that had the planetary gear reduction and permanent magnets instead of the field winding. OUTSTANDING upgrade. I had to run battery power direct to the starter, but that was the only required mod. The new (Ford) starter has lasted 20 years and 150K miles, still going strong. SO glad I made the change.

[zxztv]

As i used to work in an auto repair factory, there were a lot of starters around.
The carbon brushes and commutator needed to make a very good low resistance contact.
Fine sand paper strips were handy for cleaning the commutator, then wrap the sandpaper with the back on the commutator and rock the armature to shape/clean the carbon brushes.
I bet you have a similar method.
Also always clean the joins in the casings to keep a good earth from the front bracket all the way to the back brush cover.
It matters a lot as really high ampage needs super low resistance.
Fix them starters :-D

[lawrencedavidson]

I rebuilt my Honda Civic starter with new brushes last year. Just this week the solenoid started acting up. It was a sealed one so i had to carefully pry it open, and found one of the two contacts worn down. I put a washer behind the bolt/contact as a shim and it works very well now. It wont last long however, so i will have to order new contacts or a whole new solenoid. Great video. Thanks and greetings from sunny Jamaica.

[Isaac-]

your videos are very simple and very understandable, not confusing. Your channel is not expressly a " i will teach you from start to finish" tutorial channel but you take the time and effort very often to go the extra mile, are fa4 mor thorough than most. So, kudos. Tyvm.

[steadyeddie]

That copper tab (copper disc on some models) if often the cause of a no crank problem. If you tap on the starter while someone is trying to crank the engine over and the engine cranks over its usually because of pitting on that copper tab creating a bad connection. You can clean the tab, or flip it over, and clean the mating copper lug it contacts and the starter will go another 100, 000. As long as the commutator isn't worn down, as you mentioned. Good recommendation on staying away from the $60.00 starters. Either rebuild it yourself if you have the skills, or buy a quality starter, saving you a potential failure on the road, and giving you peace of mind. Good video.

[alanprather]

just watching this a year later, like the series, but man does he just have an old starter museum out back?

[AdmiralDG]

Very helpful explanation of how they work/are built. Assisted me in repairing my snowblower starter! Thanks!

[AtimatikArmy]

Next you got to do one on alternators... I know you know the drill, just replace the ~$6 worth of diodes and 90% of the time you are good to go! I know you of anybody are already way on top of this tip ages ago! ;-) Another great vid from the "DIY MASTER"!!

[jgetchius]

I find the clumping noise of the starters on the table so entertaining. Great video!

[RRaucina]

Good video, especially comparing cheapest to most expensive. I doubted you, but no more.... 2 years ago replaced my lucas starter on a ford 655c backhoe. Solenoid bad, didnt have time to fix, so bought the $128 version on Amazonia. So that one died a week ago. Got them both on the bench. Opened the cheap one and lo and behold looks like the brushholder was strapped to a muffler in upstate New York for 5 winters. Damn thing was so rusted, that one of the brush springs rotted away. Opened the lucas, and it was totally sealed with orings and plugs and silicone washers - sparkling new inside.
This brusholder had coil type roller springs, heavily galvanized and as new. Copperbrushes with little wear. The rusted one had one brush still moving, one broken spring, and three carbon brushes lodged in position non-op . Ca-Ca. For the sake of $2 they built a piece of crap on purpose. It seems to come from Romaine Electric, big outfit, all over the USA. Though likely Chinese import. And no, we don't use salt here and my 81 ford pickup is rust free.
Looks like if you buy a cheap one you need to open it and check the internals. Not for me again.

[glenbarnier]

those vice-grip channel locks on your bench on the right, are my favorite pair ive ever had i love em

thanks for all your hard work friend

[johnpossum]

Great video, more people should do this! I find even more often the alternator needs rebuilding & I always bought my kits through fleet farm since they stock all the common ones right there in the store. Over the years I've probably saved thousands of dollars just re building alternators.

[treasurynotes]

Thank you for this video Sir! Very informative taking my Kubota g6200 mower tractor starter apart now

[ZippoVarga]

I should also add, it's important to clean the Lands and Grooves on the Commutator, because often the Copper/carbon/corn starch comprised brushes will breech the gaps of the Commutator and make the starter function weak or have a flat spot where two lands or more cancel themselves out due to having conductive material in the grooves. Cheers again! Zip~