Left side stator area squeal fixed

[Guest]

I pulled the stator cover to inspect things after a low rpm squeal appearred. It disappeared at higher revs, but did not sound reassurring. Thinking it might be my starter clutch, I had a look.

I noticed rub marks on the fly wheel. This was caused by the small piece of metal which retains the stator wires against the internal case wall. This piece has two right angle bends-one at the top where it is held by a short screw, and another at the bottom, which forms a foot to hold the wire down out of the way. This piece had become bent, allowing the edge of the flywheel to rub it. It had made a small groove, but no loose pieces . I straightened it up, gave it a quick file smooth, and after a bit of trial and error got it back in shape. An easy fix, but had I left it it would have become a bigger problem.

One more thing to inspect when tracking down uncomfortable noises.