Starter repair for Dummies

[daveshoe]

I usuallt take my bench repair items to a freind of mine who is a retired farmer/mechanic. He is very interesting to talk to about stuff in general as well. I decided that as he is getting up in years ,I better start trying to figure out more stuff for myself. That being said-- starters are probably the most over-replaced items we own and especially in occasionally used items that run in dirty environments.
Case in point. My st arter in question was a small automotive q uality starter in a 20 HP Wheel horse tractor. It was just gummed up in the solenoid. clean & grease and you're done. With only 500 hours,the thing probably had 350 starts on it.
Your diesel farm tractor is the same deal. they sit for months at a time between plant and harvest in an old shed that draws dampness after they have been worked in the dusty fields.
My retired buddy always checks for two things. The above mentioned crud buildup and the brushes[usually just one] get stuck in the spring loaded holder and eventually will not work. Just work them in and out of the holder ,keeping them in the SAME POSITION if you remove them ,and that's it.
Hope this helps someone. The little starter for the wheel horse would have cost $300.00 if replaced and $100.00 for a solenoid rebuild kit