Starter motor repair.

[F Body]

The Model T starter motor packed up on Thursday, now she has a hand crank which works OK when it's cold, but it's bastard when it's warm and there is always the chance she'll back fire and break you arm

Here is the front of the starter motor :

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Just need to remove the floor boards to reach the other end :

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Here is the end of the starter bendix cover :

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Eventually got the cover off after removing the four screws, two of them require the clutch pedal pushing in so that you can reach them :

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Hard to see but the secondary gear was jammed at an angle :

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Quick push with a screw driver freed it and gave it a whirl ?
It turned over fine but spat a shed load of oil out the bell housing

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So rather than dismantle it completely, I put it all back together again and started the engine ( NB : You really need three hands to start the T anyway, so my phone was sat on the seat recording the sound if not the video )

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She sputtered into life OK, but then when I went to start her again it was jammed again
Here are the bendix parts and tiny woodruff key that's so easy to lose :

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The parts cleaned up :

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The problem is the secondary ring is cocking sideways and jamming, will have to do some forum research to see what and how the ring is supposed to work

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But seeing as it is still garage weather, I took the opportunity to modify the choke lever mechanism :

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You had to hold it in the closed position for starting, no that easy when you have a hand advance and retard and a hand throttle. So I drilled the rivet out and replaced it with a bolt and some lock washers, it now holds in any position

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[F Body]

Oh and the exhaust is great you drying you rain soaked cloths

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[F Body]

Well isn't look any different than this reconditioned item on E Gay ???????

Click to enlarge :

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[F Body]

Curious ? Mine spins really freely like this on the left, but if in the horizontal position jams :

[F Body]

Me thinks this little spring on the collar is the problem :

[F Body]

Can't find anywhere you can buy the little spring, so I'm looking at a new Bendix unit for $75 approx £50

But as always it hinges on the shipping costs

MAC I've bought from before but they were just retaining washers that came in an envelope :

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Snyder sell all the hard to get bits but they can be pricey :

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E-Mail sent to both

[F Body]

The plot thickens ????

Just spoke to Mr Model T aka Neil Tuckett and he said just pull the little spring and pin out, they work better without it

[art b]

maybe a cheap fix then ..

was the starter original or was it starting handle only ...

[F Body]

Quoting: art b

was the starter original or was it starting handle only ..

No not original, electric start was an option from mid 1919 and pretty much standard 1923 onwards.

So the gearbox housing must also date from 1919 onwards, but seeing as Ford didn't even put id numbers on most parts who knows ???

Interestingly the gearbox and sump pan (all one part) has been fractured right across in two places and then welded back together

This was a common issue when they struck rocks or boulders before roads were made

[F Body]

Changed the spring refitted (takes about an hour) still jammed, took the spring out refitted still jammed, filed a small chamfer on the edge of the ring gear (known cure) refitted still jammed

So all the way from the US of A shiney new parts :

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£82 inc shipping & VAT

[F Body]

Quoting: F Body

shiney new parts :

Fitted and working

As usual with the "T" it involved the use of a hammer, but this case just some fairly gentle persuasion

[Incursus]

[art b]

Fix or repair daily.