Red Holden Starter Warning

[geodon]

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During the refurbishment of my 186 powered 2A, I installed a new, cheap generic starter motor as the cost of overhauling the Bosch unit was about double the cost.

Well, it just bit me on my fundamental orifice!

The pinion disintegrated.

On a normal bell housing situation, No Big Deal.

With the adaptor plate forming a close fitting U-section band around the ring gear, it's a disaster! The debris seems to have lodged between the teeth of the ring gear & the wall of the adaptor plate & locked the motor solid.

I've tried jacking up 1 rear wheel & rocking it in gear to no avail

I'm now making a solid draw bar to attach the bumper via the crank hole to the tow hitch on the Fergy & doing repeated push-pulls in gear to try to break it free. I'm not optimistic because the crap can't go anywhere. I can only hope to break it up into smaller bits. Resultant damage? Well, the weakest links are the rear axles, so, if any thing breaks, it should be one of them. Ring gear? I suspect the crap metal on the pinion will break first.

Failing that it's engine & GB out & flywheel off.

It's probably time to overhaul the 2.25 unit under my bench & go back to original specs. Anyway, the timing is good. The end is in sight for both my projects.

So! Keep an eye on your starter pinions & pay for a good unit. Here endeth the lesson.

[tinymc]

Thanks for that warning, I too have installed one of these cheaper starters, mine is probably 12 mths old and just recently decided not to play, after removing starter it was opened up and was found to have a considerable amount of rusty sludge built up roughly to the half way mark, the car hasn't been driven through any water and has only had a light pressure clean. How this much moisture/water got into it is still a head scratcher. After cleaning it all out, a bit of light sanding and replacing the very ordinary brushes it once again is working (touch wood) but a Bosch one is now being sourced. As you said lesson learnt.

[geodon]

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Well it appears my prognosis was basically correct.

All the teeth fell to the bottom of the adaptor plate where they could have resided till the end of time with no ill effects.

Except one. It jammed between the rear of the flywheel & the block. You can clearly see the scars. Without the adaptor plate being there it most likely would have fallen thru. I may even have been able to force it, but, when the Fergy spun its wheels trying, I decided discretion was the better part of valour.

A heap of work as a result of following the line of least resistance.