1936 starter
 

I tried to start my car for the first time. There was a chattering noise from the starter. I removed the starter and bench tested it and it just doesn’t seem right.
There seems to be a vibration in the shaft area. The drive caught my attention. I understand that it works on sentrifical force which moves the gear forward and engages the fly wheel. How does that gear free itself from the flywheel and return back to the original area away from the flywheel.

Re: 1936 starter
 

Just to be sure, - you had a good fully charged battery with good heavy gauge cables connecting to ground, solenoid, and starter.

What "doesn't seem right"?

When the engine starts and turns faster than the starter cranking speed, the sliding gear is thrown back away from the flywheel by the same spiral that sends it into the flywheel when the starter is spinning.

Re: 1936 starter
 

Thank you for your answer. It was confusing when I had the starter out and the gear actually turns the opposite direction on the shaft making the engine turn the wrong opposite direction but after looking at it again I saw that the shaft actually turn which then engages the gear and spins it in the correct direction. Then I figured that when the starter stops the torque that the fly wheel spins it back out of the way. At first not being that familiar with that starter it looked wrong. Thanks again for your response.

Re: 1936 starter
 

The flathead starter is held together with the mounting bolts to the oil pan---- to bench test it you need to put nuts on the bolts to hold the starter together

Re: 1936 starter
 

Hi Kurt yes that was done. It just didn't have that smooth sound. The shaft seems to be off. Maybe its the spring and drive that's causing it to wobble.

Re: 1936 starter
 

When I used to rebuild starters, generator for A, v8, if the shaft wobbled I would put the unit on the floor, put a foot on it with the highest up and wack the shaft with a wooden mallet till the runout was gone

Re: 1936 starter
 

Often starter motor shafts can become out of true or bent. To straighten the shaft correctly the starter should be dismantled and the armature set up in V blocks in a press to find the high spot and be pressed down until it is running true. Hitting with a mallet while the starter is assembled is the rough back woods way of doing it and may put stress on other starter components. Regards, Kevin.

Re: 1936 starter
 

That was called a "Field Expedient" in the Army.

Re: 1936 starter
 

We are not in the army now, so we can do it correctly cant we. I was in the army 50 years ago. Regards, Kevin