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Bought replacement starter from Rick's Motorsports. Doesn't fit?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kev
  • Start date Start date
K

Kev

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Hello. I bought a replacement starter for my 1983 1100GL from Rick's Motorsports. Part number 61-304. Confirmed with them over the phone that this is the right one for my bike. Problem is when i bolt it in to the factory holes and line up the O-Ring I can hear it whir but it doesn't start the bike. After taking it out and inspecting the part it appears that the "gear" inside the bike is only making contact with the face of the shaft. Not the teeth. There are small surface scratches on the face. The first thought i get is whether or not these starters had a "bendix". Meaning that the shaft would extend out like a harley or a car starter? If they are intended to then my starter may be corrupt because i hooked up it up to a battery and it spins but does not extend. If this is not the case any other suggestions? I appreciate any advice as this is my first bike (over 425cc's anyway) and also the first issue i have had with it. :D
 
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Starter

Starter

Perhaps the poliarity is reversed from the rebuilder. Such has the stator is turning but in the opposite direction to engage the starter drive.
 
bmac said:
Perhaps the poliarity is reversed from the rebuilder. Such has the stator is turning but in the opposite direction to engage the starter drive.
Click to expand...
Do you know what direction it should turn?
 
Counterclockwise on the stator side.
Remove the stator cover and see what's going on.
 
bmac said:
I would say, Remove your starter assembly, leave the starter connected to the terminal post (+) ground your starter to the engine which simulates the normal condition. Hit the starter button this will tell you when if the starter drive extends outward. If it does not my guess would be the starter field is reversed. Perhaps unscrewing the case and turning 180 degrees and reattaching the starter to the test set-up. See then if the starter drive extends.
Click to expand...
I thought it wasn't supposed to extend? :confused: Sorry to be a noob guys. I'm new to motorcycles and even newer to electronics. What exactly is a stator?
 
It does not extend.
The starter clutch controls the catch of the engine.
 
Ok guys i did some research. Found a great article here- "http://www.dansmc.com/electric_starters.htm". Now i understand that the starter clutch uses rollers to lock the crankshaft into the starter gear. My question is this. How Can I tell if the starter gear is bad? The reason I believe this could be the case is because i was riding when this thing died. The inside of the old starter was destroyed. I believe what happened was it stopped making contact with the starter gear and burned up from running at a high speed without touching the gear. So how can i check the gear?:confused:
 
rustybronco said:
Look for cracks in the starter clutch housing, broken/damaged/missing springs, damaged rollers and (or) sheared bolts.
Click to expand...
like i said im pretty sure it aint the clutch since the starter motor is brand new. But according to the link i posted the starter motor spinning at high speeds without catching the gear could cause the starter motor to get destroyed because it is only meant to work for a few seconds at a time. My old starter is absolutely fried, brushes, stator and all. This tells me that the old one probably was not catching the gear either. I don't want to tear apart the new starter because, well, it's new....and i dont think there is anything wrong with it. From what i can gather from that article starters don't just burn up. They are usually rebuildable unless they have been overworked. My goal then would be to check the "starter gear" that the shaft is intended to catch to see if it is ground down or worn. Does anyone have any advice to offer on this?

BTW i did find a small spring on the ground near my bike shortly after this happened.
 
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The fact that the starter was destroyed says the starter clutch did not release the last time it worked. That's why it is torn up inside. Now the new starter just wines. The starter clutch is broken ??? With the starter out, reach in the hole and turn the idler gear- if working should only turn in one direction- OR take the stator cover off and watch to see if the starter gear turns. BE careful there is a spacer washer on both sides of the idler gear
 
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SqDancerLynn1 said:
The fact that the starter was destroyed says the starter clutch did not release the last time it worked. That's why it is torn up inside. Now the new starter just wines. The starter clutch is broken ??? With the starter out, reach in the hole and turn the idler gear- if working should only turn in one direction- OR take the stator cover off and watch to see if the starter gear turns. BE careful there is a spacer washer on both sides of the idler gear
Click to expand...

Yep.
Jammed starter clutch has shredded the old starter motor. Happened to my old GS1000 when I bored it out, the higher compression of the wiseco kit damaged the starter clutch which failed spectacularly and dragged the starter to bits.
 
Hi,

One of us is confused. Let me see if I can clear this up.

The starter clutch is not in the starter itself. The new starter you have is probably just fine.

The starter clutch is in the gears behind the stator, under the stator cover on the left side of your engine. (Left side as you sit on the bike.)

Here you see the starter clutch gears on the left side of the picture.

bevel_gear_oil_plugs.jpg


The gear from your new starter goes through the starter cavity hole and fits on that smaller gear on top. Please forgive me if I state the obvious.

(Disregard the labels for the bevel gear fill and drain plugs. They're for shaft drive 850G and larger.) Once you take off the stator cover, you will find the stator bolted to the inside of the cover.

DSCF2513.jpg


This is the stator that is part of your charging system, that keeps the battery charged. It doesn't have anything to do with your starter issue. I just thought I'd let you know what to expect.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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BassCliff said:
Hi,

One of us is confused. Let me see if I can clear this up.

The starter clutch is not in the starter itself. The new starter you have is probably just fine.

The starter clutch is in the gears behind the stator, under the stator cover on the left side of your engine. (Left side as you sit on the bike.)


The gear from your new starter goes through the starter cavity hole and fits on that smaller gear on top. Please forgive me if I state the obvious.

BassCliff
Click to expand...


There's no confusion.
When the starter clutch starts to give trouble, it needs to be investigated and rectified.
If the symptoms are ignored for too long, ie: slipping, clanking and grinding of the starter clutch components, it can lock solid on the crank instead of freewheeling when the motor fires.
This is more likely to happen on the bigger GS motors, and more likely again if it's running a higher compression ratio than standard.
When this happens, the starter clutch gear will spin the idler and starter motor at a ferocious speed, shredding it in the process, and maybe stripping the gears as well.
This may or may not be his problem, but it does happen.
It's worth removing the stator cover and having a look.
 
The confusion was on my part and that cleared it right up. :D Thank you guys (especially BassCliff) for taking the time to give great help. So can the clutch be adjusted or will it most likely need to be replaced? Do i have to remove the starter clutch gears to check it? ;)
 
springs and rollers wear. ever helped any one start a bike that has sat for years?/

poor starter and starter clutch minute after minute cranking and cranking - kill the battery and bring the car over hook it up ARGGGHH poor little starter..

only supposed used for an instant. not minute after minute..

pull the clutch out pull strech the 3 springs reassemble and it may work long enough to sell it to another nonsuspecting schlub.

we'll help him here too, just like you.

it is time for new parts in there they all wear together. big gear with the smooth shelf all 3 rollers and the copper gasket.

you might need a propane torch cause the 3 bolts should have red loctite..and they are tough to remove unless you melt the glue.(loctite)
 
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