Anyone help me please, I'm desperate! The starter on my 46 Roadie is giving me hard time. The symptoms are like a bad starter drive: many times when I start, I just hear the starter rev up high, sometimes it may crank the engine a couple of turns, and then slip. Sometimes it cranks fine. I thought the culprit was a bad starter drive. I got a new (yes, NEW) starter drive from eBay and installed it yesterday, to no avail.

I am using the original 6-volt starter with 12 volts (I never tried it with 6 volts). During the initial build-up, I replaced two out of three bushings (don't remember which ones) and brushes, and trued the contact surfaces inside the solenoid. I also adjusted the pinion travel to specs by adjusting the solenoid plunger stud.

During the initial start-ups, the starter cranked just fine, over and over. Then, all of a sudden, it began to miss, and the problem seems to get worse. There is no way to adjust the contact pattern between the pinion and flywheel teeth, because of the starter mounting system.

The starter acts like the solenoid was closing the main contacts too early. But like I said, it has been adjusted to specs. PLEASE HELP!!!

You need a 12 volt solenoid maybe. I had one adapted to my 6v starter by a local starter shop. Have you ran the starter on your bench? See if its kicking all the way out.

Mark

I sure hope it's the solenoid! I posted the same topic on the BCA forum, and they suggested that I have some missing teeth on the ring gear...

Well, the solenoid was the culprit. I was able to locate a 12-volt solenoid from a 1953 Buick, and now the starter seems to work like ot should!

If it re-occurs its probably the ring gear... I didn't see that originally and mine still does that occasionally.

when i overhauled my 41 century the teeth were worn bad.the teeth are pressed on and i was able to take to my local machine shop and have it turned around,it works like new.jb