HELP: Weird Starter Shaft and Drive

[jg61hawk]

Please see attached photos. I broke the spring. I posted another thread and someone said they had never seen the bolt go through the shaft. I got my new drive and I see the entire thing is different than mine. I can slide the new drive on the key-way and no play side to side, but the bolt on the spring and collar screws into the hole on the armature shaft where the old bolt went through. This allows a very very small amount of play front to back....the entire collar is totally different, my old one had like two locking ends...see photos... Ever see this before? Should I buy an entirely new starter or would the very small play be ok? Do the armature shafts have a hole for the bolt to go into or does the bolt bottom out on the solid shaft?

[Will N]

Looks to me like a "farmer's fix" for a shaft where the threads might have been stripped. Someone in this starter's past stripped the threads, drilled the hole out and put a nut and bolt right through it. It might work, but I don't see anything locking that bolt and nut in place, and it could come loose and fall into your bell housing. The original set up had a washer with tabs that bend up onto the side of the bolt head to keep it from unscrewing.

[katy]

Do the armature shafts have a hole for the bolt to go into

Yes, they have a small hole for the end of the bolt to locate in.
https://www.mikes-afordable.com/product/A11382S.html

[jg61hawk]

Katy: That's what I needed to know.... I looked on You Tube and saw the exact thing I have on a TRACTOR with a Model A motor. I think I'm OK now as the bolt did hit the hole and I used the locking tabs. Does the position of the gear matter when I install the starter back. Should I "wind" it up to the top? Thanks again.

[redmodelt]

I think I posted that you may need a different armature now as you can't go back to the original setup using that one, the hole in the shaft more then likely too big now for the offset in the bolt (shown in the link above). The offset is used to keep the end that slips on the shaft from rotating on the shaft along with the key. I don't know if you replied, I also asked if it has the key in place? I was told by my mentors to leave the screw just a little on the loose side, having it clamped down may be what lead to the spring breaking, or part of the cause. Too add, the hole the step fits into the shaft and is a blind hole, does not go all the way thru the shaft. The threads would have been in the part that slides off the end of the shaft. If there is no key installed, the slot where it would have fit in the shaft may be bad and was the reason for the farmer fix.

[jg61hawk]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Redmodelt: Thanks...for replies in both my posts. The key is in place and the drive is locked by that. I seem to have found that the crazy drive I had is a tractor type, but the bolt on the new drive does do its job and goes into the shaft hole just as expected. Everything seems OK..and tight!!! I think I had a tractor drive which is probably OK but not correct. I'm putting it back together tomorrow, ...note the locks in my photos which the Model A drive do not have....the U shaped parts.

[redmodelt]

Did some checking, the tractor Bendix is completely different, the one shown is not tractor (8N 9N for example), it is stock Model A car/truck. A home built tractor using a Model A engine would have used the same Bendix as a car/truck.

Not sure what you mean by U shaped pieces, maybe the ends that wrap around the bolts holding the spring to the unit?

If you are installing a modern style drive (?), I do not think the oversized hole in the shaft is going to work with the set screw. Too much slop/play. If the hole in the shaft is too large you are going to end up with longitudinal and rotational movement with the end piece as it works free. There is a lot of force involved when the spinning Bendix slams in to the stationary flywheel even when cushioned by the spring. Same thing if you are installing the original style Bendix.