Starter Questions

Well, I finally figured out how to start a new thread in 'tin'! (I think..)
The starter gear on my Cherokee 180 is dragging ever so slightly on the back
of the ring gear on the flywheel. With the engine running, you can hear a
'ding ding ding' sound, which is from the starter gear dinging the flywheel,
of course. I can duplicate the sound by tapping the ring gear with a
screwdriver. The starter is the standard Prestolite (Electrosystems
#MZ4222).

I took the starter out, took the drive end off the motor, and cleaned the
drive adaptor thoroughly. I lubed it up with silicon spray. I put it back
together, and reinstalled it. Same 'ding ding ding'.

Now I forgot to look at the thing before I left the airport tonight. How
far back into the starter housing is the drive supposed to retract? On
my unit, I can see the entire drive gear poking out, and it's really close
to the back of the flywheel - thus the 'ding ding ding'. I looked around,
and the only pictures I could find show the drive gear poking out about
as much as mine does. Of course, if you wind the gear out, it stays out,
so these pictures may not be telling the whole story.

Has anyone had success just replacing the drive unit? I see these for about
$50 online, while a reman starter is about $290. My starter works just fine,
except for the gear apparently not retracting enough, so the lower cost
option would be the one I would like to use!
--
Aaron Coolidge (N9376J)

Aaron Coolidge wrote:

[snip]

Has anyone had success just replacing the drive unit?

Yeah, I did it recently on my PA-24-250. I'd originally planned to
replace the starter with a new lightweight model, but after discovering
that the only one that would fit without having to move the oil cooler
was back ordered I simply replaced the Bendix. It's trivial to do; mine
had a single roll pin holding it in place.

I had all kinds of problems with the starter on my Piper Warrior and
had to spray Bendix with silicon before every start. I finally
replaced it with one of the new lightweight starters and couldn't be
happier. Easy installation and you may get your A/P to signoff on
your work.


On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 01:48:18 +0000 (UTC), Aaron Coolidge
wrote:

Well, I finally figured out how to start a new thread in 'tin'! (I think..)
The starter gear on my Cherokee 180 is dragging ever so slightly on the back
of the ring gear on the flywheel. With the engine running, you can hear a
'ding ding ding' sound, which is from the starter gear dinging the flywheel,
of course. I can duplicate the sound by tapping the ring gear with a
screwdriver. The starter is the standard Prestolite (Electrosystems
#MZ4222).

I took the starter out, took the drive end off the motor, and cleaned the
drive adaptor thoroughly. I lubed it up with silicon spray. I put it back
together, and reinstalled it. Same 'ding ding ding'.

Now I forgot to look at the thing before I left the airport tonight. How
far back into the starter housing is the drive supposed to retract? On
my unit, I can see the entire drive gear poking out, and it's really close
to the back of the flywheel - thus the 'ding ding ding'. I looked around,
and the only pictures I could find show the drive gear poking out about
as much as mine does. Of course, if you wind the gear out, it stays out,
so these pictures may not be telling the whole story.

Has anyone had success just replacing the drive unit? I see these for about
$50 online, while a reman starter is about $290. My starter works just fine,
except for the gear apparently not retracting enough, so the lower cost
option would be the one I would like to use!



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Kent Shaw wrote:
: I had all kinds of problems with the starter on my Piper Warrior and
: had to spray Bendix with silicon before every start. I finally
: replaced it with one of the new lightweight starters and couldn't be
: happier. Easy installation and you may get your A/P to signoff on
: your work.

A followup to my original post: I have now figured out exactly how the
starter bendix drive works, and why it stays extended even when not
turning, after it has been extended. There are 2 little spring loaded
pins that hold the bendix drive out, which are arranged so that at high
RPM their weight + centrifugal force retracts them, allowing the pinion
to retract as well. Apparently one of these pins is dragging on my unit.
I have in my hands a new EBB-131A starter drive which I intend to
install tomorrow, which should solve this problem.
The guy at Sacremento Sky Ranch who sold me this EBB-131A said that it
was his last one, and the last "US-made" one. New ones are imported from
India, and he said there have been several recalls already.
Further bulletins as events warrant...
--
Aaron Coolidge (N9376J)

Aaron Coolidge wrote in message ...
Kent Shaw wrote:
: I had all kinds of problems with the starter on my Piper Warrior and
: had to spray Bendix with silicon before every start. I finally
: replaced it with one of the new lightweight starters and couldn't be
: happier. Easy installation and you may get your A/P to signoff on
: your work.

A followup to my original post: I have now figured out exactly how the
starter bendix drive works, and why it stays extended even when not
turning, after it has been extended. There are 2 little spring loaded
pins that hold the bendix drive out, which are arranged so that at high
RPM their weight + centrifugal force retracts them, allowing the pinion
to retract as well. Apparently one of these pins is dragging on my unit.
I have in my hands a new EBB-131A starter drive which I intend to
install tomorrow, which should solve this problem.
The guy at Sacremento Sky Ranch who sold me this EBB-131A said that it
was his last one, and the last "US-made" one. New ones are imported from
India, and he said there have been several recalls already.
Further bulletins as events warrant...


The pins are OK, since the thing is retracting. There's a
broken spring inside the drive: a spring that pushes and keeps the
gear back out of the way when the pins retract.

Same outcome: replace the drive.

Dan