Starter issues on 8BA?

36tudordeluxe

36tudordeluxe

Well-known member
Have STUMP PULLER starter as offered by SPEEDWAY & others; when I push on starter button I can hear starter relay activate on the firewall but starter fails to turn over, this happens whether a cold or hot start and only occasionally. If I rock the car back & forth in gear & then push starter button it turns right over. Any ideas what's wrong with starter motor, engine has less than 200 miles on it.
 
Thats odd how rocking the car helps. You would think nothing on the starter is touching the flywheel or anything else Until it is engaged
 
I have one on my 48. It has worked fine for several years. It sounds like the starter is locking in the flywheel.I think there are two different starters. make sure you have the right one, One is for the up to 48, and then 49/ 53. Think that's the way it is. The bendex is longer on one.
 
I looked up that starter, it's a toyota starter modified----but the gear hits the other side of the ring gear from the original starter, the flat side, it will have trouble engaging the ring gear unless it hits it perfect, either the pinion gear needs more chamfering, or you have to chamfer the trailing edge of every tooth on the ring gear ----or proper restoration of the original system

perhaps yours has spun against the ring gear and milled the face of the pinion tyeeth and burred the ring gear teeth
 
There you got it I think there is a diff. of about 3/8 or so on the early or late flywheel set back. Can't remember all about it. I just know because mine is a allumin. , and I had that trouble. Works fine now.
 
Kurt in NJ said:
I looked up that starter, it's a toyota starter modified----but the gear hits the other side of the ring gear from the original starter, the flat side, it will have trouble engaging the ring gear unless it hits it perfect, either the pinion gear needs more chamfering, or you have to chamfer the trailing edge of every tooth on the ring gear ----or proper restoration of the original system

perhaps yours has spun against the ring gear and milled the face of the pinion tyeeth and burred the ring gear teeth
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Kurt, the flywheel is an 8BA with a '50 Merc. 1/2 bell housing & matching starter plate. To me it would seem like an "all or nothing" situation," either the starter is engaging the flywheel or it's not. If the gear is partially engaging ring gear wouldn't I expect to hear a very bad noise; there's just silence? If chamfering starter gear fails to solve problem; I have the old 6V starter, read somewhere 12V shouldn't hurt it.
 
George/Maine said:
That starter doesn't need a selnode just a bottom.
THe Power Mater is a better starter.
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George, I think you're right about not needing the starter solenoid on the firewall, it was a change of plans during the build. It performed flawlessly until recently. Going to see what a Power Mater looks like. I think you meant Power Master and that's who made my "Stump Puller."
 
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36tudordeluxe said:
Kurt, the flywheel is an 8BA with a '50 Merc. 1/2 bell housing & matching starter plate. To me it would seem like an "all or nothing" situation," either the starter is engaging the flywheel or it's not. If the gear is partially engaging ring gear wouldn't I expect to hear a very bad noise; there's just silence? If chamfering starter gear fails to solve problem; I have the old 6V starter, read somewhere 12V shouldn't hurt it.
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I have the exact same set up in my '39 p/u (an 8BA with a Merc. 1/2 bell housing & matching starter plate) and the starter locks up. It used to be only every now and then and I could rock the truck in gear to pop the starter loose from the flywheel but it is now doing it more often and I can't pop it loose by rocking. I tried shimming the starter to see if it was some type of alignment issue but no change. Now I have it to loosen the starter and partially remove it to free the starter gear from the flywheel. Had the starter checked by a shop that still works on starters and it checks out OK. Their thought was that the old 6volt system wasn't spinning the starter hard enough to properly engage the flywheel. This does make some sense since my 6 volt wiring and grounds aren't in the best of condition. I was planning to convert to 12 volts some time down the road but the conversion is now on the top of the list. Plan on using the 6 volt starter on 12 volts and see if that fixes the problem.
 
If your stock starter button grounds the connection from the solenoid, then you do need the old solenoid. Regardless, the solenoid on the starter itself needs juice when you hit the button. I just ran a heavy (#12) wire parallel to the big cable to the starter's solenoid connection.
 
51504bat said:
I have the exact same set up in my '39 p/u (an 8BA with a Merc. 1/2 bell housing & matching starter plate) and the starter locks up. It used to be only every now and then and I could rock the truck in gear to pop the starter loose from the flywheel but it is now doing it more often and I can't pop it loose by rocking. I tried shimming the starter to see if it was some type of alignment issue but no change. Now I have it to loosen the starter and partially remove it to free the starter gear from the flywheel. Had the starter checked by a shop that still works on starters and it checks out OK. Their thought was that the old 6volt system wasn't spinning the starter hard enough to properly engage the flywheel. This does make some sense since my 6 volt wiring and grounds aren't in the best of condition. I was planning to convert to 12 volts some time down the road but the conversion is now on the top of the list. Plan on using the 6 volt starter on 12 volts and see if that fixes the problem.
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Well, I've got a 12V system and still experience the same problem you do.
 
The Power master is like a original starter and is 12 volts.
Bolts like original and doesn't have that hard hitting like 6Volt starter on 12 volts.
I have 2 on my cars and work well.
Make sure you have correct starter plate some are on angle.
Check the screws on starter they are small and can loosen.
 
Ross F-1 said:
If your stock starter button grounds the connection from the solenoid, then you do need the old solenoid. Regardless, the solenoid on the starter itself needs juice when you hit the button. I just ran a heavy (#12) wire parallel to the big cable to the starter's solenoid connection.
Click to expand...
Ross, notice in the picture, the post on left side of solenoid has what appears to be #16 wire running to starter solenoid, maybe #10 or #12 would solve the problem?
 

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Also make sure you have the little bracket that goes on one starter bolt and attatches
to a pan bolt. It helps hold the starter steady and helps starter ground.








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Thanks Walt. Mine just seems to be week and I do have a spare from a 50 P/U 239 that I was thinking of trying.
Best just get it rebuilt I guess. Any advice on that?
Thanks
Whoops, how can I tell the difference cuz I am not sure what the one was I put on there? I had 3 of them here when the 53 went together.
Thanks
 
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