Dead Starter

[Guest]

This starter came from my parts bike, 1983 GS850. Put it in my 1978 GS1000. Got me on a long test drive, then got me to Chicago for Motoblot. Stranded me at Motoblot. But Chicago and Motoblot have many wonderful bikers attending, and I was taken care of by them. My bike was trucked to a garage, and sat a week till i could retrieve it. Seeing how I do not live in Chicago. Anybody see a starter so destroyed from use before??

IMG_1924.jpg

[Grimly]

Nasty stuff.
Looks like the resin or whatever bonding agent was used to keep the segments in place finally gave up. Possibly over-speeded at some point, too.
If it came off a parts bike there's no telling what happened to it over its life - possibly sorely abused.

[roeme]

This starter came from my parts bike, 1983 GS850. Put it in my 1978 GS1000. Got me on a long test drive, then got me to Chicago for Motoblot. Stranded me at Motoblot. But Chicago and Motoblot have many wonderful bikers attending, and I was taken care of by them. (...)My bike was trucked to a garage, and sat a week till i could retrieve it.(...)

uhm....push-starting didn't work?

[Gorminrider]

I've seen where the actual magnets come unstuck but nothing like that commutator!

[Redman]

that doesnt look like damage that could start to occur and the starter continue to operate and fail more.

looks like commutator bars flew apart and ripped out the winding ends.whivh i dont thonk could happen at normal satarter motor speed. and once the damage started,the starter motor could not turn itself under its own power any more.

that looks like maybe the starter clutch failed to disengage, and starter being driven by engine (at much higher engine rpm than starter woould turn) and then come apart, but engine still tiurning the starter motor (with probably lots of growling).

your repair shop suggest that?
need to be doing more than replacing the starter.

[bwringer]

Hard to tell in the rubble here, but I've seen a starter filled with similar-looking corrosion after some ignorant dipstick spotted the Mystery Hole on his GS and plugged it with epoxy.

The Mystery Hole is a drain for the starter cavity, so if you plug it the starter eventually ends up sitting in a pool of filthy rain water. This cavity is not sealed from the elements; it's designed so that water will make its way in to this area, but then drain out harmlessly.


I dubbed it the Mystery Hole a while back because it became a regular thing for new GS-ers rummaging around under their engines to absolutely PANIC when they spotted the GIANT HOLE in the ENGINE!?!?!?!?!?! And if they had an oil leak from the starter o-ring and/or cam chain tensioner, the oil would eventually make its way out the Mystery Hole, creating DEFCON 1 levels of panic and dismay.


Here's a view of the Mystery Hole on a junk engine. The blue tubing is only there to show these are connected:

[850 Combat]

Maybe the starter clutch seized to the shaft and spun it to kingdom come.

[Redman]

OP notronk hasnt posted since. (15 months).

[Gorminrider]

yes, but still interesting! I like both theories: over-running starter clutch or the starter corroding in a galvanic bath .

[Redman]

yes, but still interesting! I like both theories: over-running starter clutch or the starter corroding in a galvanic bath .

[rphillips]

I vote for moisture, but just my opinion. Hard to think all the granulated rust dust & corrosion from spinning too fast.