My starter keeps burning up the contact points???

[Defore]

Why do I keep shaving the contact points on the inside of the starter?

[MikeS]

What does shaving mean?

My starter went out tonight when doing my cat rounds. It happened the first time six months ago and I put the starter in from my '79 that I've got sitting in the back yard with a blown head gasket. This time I have no more extra starters lying around.

Is it easy to shave the contact points to fix the problem? I wonder if I took my starters apart and "shaved" them maybe my starters would work again?

As to why it happens, at least in my case, my theory is the previous owner of my current bike did an electrical mod (that is recommended on this forum IIRC) that allows extra juice to go to the starter. Or maybe the mod is for more juice to the plugs? It's a common mod so maybe this isn't the problem - maybe I'm just having bad luck with starters.

The original starter on this bike only had 18K miles on it when it went out. It's sitting on my worktable and I thought I might take it apart to see what burned up inside but so far I've just put that off. Now, without a starter (AND NO KICK STARTER!!) I'm stuck until I track down another one.

If I've got "shaved points" like you do, what do I do to fix them?

Thanks,

Mike

[trippivot]

end bushings are worn beyond tolerance and the arm is wobbling so they grind the heck out of the carbon.

[tom203]

Why do I keep shaving the contact points on the inside of the starter?

Are you "shaving" them, or is starter grinding them off excessively? Is your starter full of grit? And they are called "commutator bars".

[tom203]

As to why it happens, at least in my case, my theory is the previous owner of my current bike did an electrical mod (that is recommended on this forum IIRC) that allows extra juice to go to the starter. Or maybe the mod is for more juice to the plugs? It's a common mod so maybe this isn't the problem - maybe I'm just having bad luck with starters.


Mike

The electrical mod is to get more voltage to ignition system. The only way to get more juice to starter would be put two batteries in series ( higher voltage) , but please don't even think of doing this. A bike in good tune will start quickly, thereby saving the starter motor from excessive work.

[Defore]

NOOO Im not shaving them my starter is. sorry guys. Ok so what should I go bout this?

[tom203]

NOOO Im not shaving them my starter is. sorry guys. Ok so what should I go bout this?

OK, have you opened up your starter alot?The brushes could be worn down and chewing on commutator. If this has happenned alot, I'd look for a new-to-you starter motor.

[MikeS]

"The electrical mod is to get more voltage to ignition system."

Oh. Thanks for clearing that up. I was trying to figure out some explanation for having gone through two starters on this new bike in less than 2500 miles. I ordered one on eBay this morning for $25 + $12 for shipping. I'll take the one out that's on the bike currently and see if I can figure out why it's not working. I still have to take the first starter apart too. I'm getting old and slow, but am also busy with putting a new spinner on a new prop I've got. I like working on the plane a lot more than on the bike, although they do have a lot in common with each other. If I had not gotten countless miles out of the starter on my old bike I would think these starters are weak - but it was exactly my old starter that has now failed on the new bike. The new bike is eating starters for some reason. I thought it might be the electrical mod . . . .

The starters get plenty of juice. I was thinking too much. Guess not.

[SqDancerLynn1]

The starter brushes go bad, get worn out. Clean the starter Take it to a starter/electrical shop and have the brush surface trued up.. Install new brushes

[MikeS]

Thanks. I'll do that. One shop I called said they don't work on motorcycle starters and another one, a bike mechanic, looked in his Suzuki book and said the brushes come in a "kit". It wasn't cheap, but don't remember what he said. Put the kit price together with the time he would spend rebuilding the starter, it's cheaper to just buy one that is working on eBay. Obviously I need to learn how to rebuild a starter myself and find a cheap source for the brushes.

[Redman]

...
.... Obviously I need to learn how to rebuild a starter myself and find a cheap source for the brushes.

Search for "Stockers".

Best way to dress up the commutator bars (so they dont chew up your brushes) is to do it in a metal lathe. But you can try the poor-mans-method, of spining the armature in a drill motor and dressing the commutaor bar with emmory paper (I used emmory paper on a paint stir stick.)

Here is link to posting with some related pictures.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=131785&highlight=starter

But as mentioned above, if bearings are bad in starter motor, then you have other problems to attend to.

.

[MikeS]

Good thread and info Redman . . . thanks! Now I know what I'm getting into.

I called Stockers this morning to price a used starter. $125. Compared to new I guess that's not bad but there was a time long ago when Stockers was cheap. They sold to somebody else and moved to a different part of town and now the prices are up there.

eBay has starters for less. I got mine for $25 + $12 shipping. I'll see if it works when it gets here, but the seller says it does and it's his on-line business so it probably will. Meantime I'll take one of mine apart and see if I've got the two or four brush - probably both. The '79 (currently on the bike) is probably a two and the one that failed at 18K (original with the bike) is probably a four.

Good stuff.

Mike

[Clone]

One other thing to check is the starter button isn't sticking and the starter is running all the time.

[MikeS]

Resolved

I've been out of town mostly but finally went to put my new eBay starter in to replace the one that had "burned out" and discovered that it had turned itself so much inside the enclosure that it was shorting itself out - either that or it was jammed at an angle and couldn't turn. I untangled it and it starts fine. I hope I didn't damage the flywheel teeth too much.

How could this possibly happen you ask? If you can't get the starter bolts to seat in their holes then why not just leave them out? Where's the thing going to go, Detroit? I had lodged a thick piece of towel between the starter and the cover plate to hold the starter in place. It worked for quite a while . . .

So the old GS850G starter from my old bike is still fine. The original starter that came on this '82 (19K miles ) did burn out. I've got it on my desk and will take it apart someday and see what's melted.

I've now got a back-up thanks to the eBay starter (I think it was about $35 with shipping) but will probably never need it. This starter out of my old bike (70K miles) is strong as ever - one reason perhaps being that I used to use the kick starter a lot, especially in the cold months, thinking it would take some of the stress off the starter and help it last. I guess it did!

I used a mirror and a flashlight to line up the starter flange with the bolt holes and got one bolt in tight this time. I couldn't find the other bolt. One's enough, eh?

[JEEPRUSTY]

I use a Starter\Motor\Alternator repair shop and thy work on everything.
Cutting a coomutator and putting in new brushes would be childs play.
70 bucks or so gets you a reliable rebuilt starter.

Oh well.