The short version
I've got a Bugeye. The starter engages, gives the engine a push, but won't turn the engine over. There's only a few ohms resistance in the circuit, and it fails even when I try to jump it. What should I be looking for? What should I try?
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The long version
I very recently bought a Bugeye that's in reasonable-but-nothing-like-mint shape. Once it goes, it goes beautifully. However, there have been starter problems from the beginning. Nothing unexpected (I knew about it when I bought it) but prevented me from actually driving the poor thing anywhere.
It sounded like the starter wasn't engaging with the flywheel perhaps most of the time. It would spin and grind instead. When it did engage, the engine started happily.
So I pulled out the starter, and sure enough, something was binding up in the spring/bendix gear/pinion assembly (is there a name for that whole shebang?). It didn't slide smoothly at all.
Luckily, the previous owner had provided, in a cardboard box of parts, a second starter motor. I put it in, and it certainly did engage with the flywheel, but it fails to turn the engine over -- it turns maybe a quarter turn (wimpily) then stops. Continuing to pull the switch only cooks the starter, since it can't move to cool itself.
I poked a multimeter around, and found ~4 ohms of resistance in the rest of the circuit, excluding the motor itself. My only electrical training is in small electronics; I'm assuming that kind of resistance is expected for a circuit of this scale, but tell me if I'm wrong.
I pulled the "new" starter back out. It spins happily if I power it while disengaged from the engine. I gave the commutator and brushes a look: they were certainly worn but still seemed to be making contact. There was some discoloration on a few leaves of the commutator, so I gave the whole commutator a light buffing with superfine sandpaper.
I plopped it back in, and, if anything, it's even worse, now, barely turning the engine at all.
I have almost no car repair experience (I bought the Bugeye, in part, to learn) and I've run out of ideas.
Are there more things I can check? Other things to try? Should I be looking at buying an actually-new starter motor, or is it more likely the problem is elsewhere?
Thanks for any advice you can give!
I've got a Bugeye. The starter engages, gives the engine a push, but won't turn the engine over. There's only a few ohms resistance in the circuit, and it fails even when I try to jump it. What should I be looking for? What should I try?
---
The long version
I very recently bought a Bugeye that's in reasonable-but-nothing-like-mint shape. Once it goes, it goes beautifully. However, there have been starter problems from the beginning. Nothing unexpected (I knew about it when I bought it) but prevented me from actually driving the poor thing anywhere.
It sounded like the starter wasn't engaging with the flywheel perhaps most of the time. It would spin and grind instead. When it did engage, the engine started happily.
So I pulled out the starter, and sure enough, something was binding up in the spring/bendix gear/pinion assembly (is there a name for that whole shebang?). It didn't slide smoothly at all.
Luckily, the previous owner had provided, in a cardboard box of parts, a second starter motor. I put it in, and it certainly did engage with the flywheel, but it fails to turn the engine over -- it turns maybe a quarter turn (wimpily) then stops. Continuing to pull the switch only cooks the starter, since it can't move to cool itself.
I poked a multimeter around, and found ~4 ohms of resistance in the rest of the circuit, excluding the motor itself. My only electrical training is in small electronics; I'm assuming that kind of resistance is expected for a circuit of this scale, but tell me if I'm wrong.
I pulled the "new" starter back out. It spins happily if I power it while disengaged from the engine. I gave the commutator and brushes a look: they were certainly worn but still seemed to be making contact. There was some discoloration on a few leaves of the commutator, so I gave the whole commutator a light buffing with superfine sandpaper.
I plopped it back in, and, if anything, it's even worse, now, barely turning the engine at all.
I have almost no car repair experience (I bought the Bugeye, in part, to learn) and I've run out of ideas.
Are there more things I can check? Other things to try? Should I be looking at buying an actually-new starter motor, or is it more likely the problem is elsewhere?
Thanks for any advice you can give!