Starter Drive Bendix Spring Question

T

TMB

Member
'29 Town Sedan. Had been running great. Tried to start with resultant clunk n then nothing. Could hear a click from the starter when switch activated but no spinning. New battery and 6V to the starter switch. Removed starter and found broken starter drive sleeve. My question is the condition of the Bendix Spring in photo. Appears a little bent. Is this the result of the fractured sleeve? OK to reuse or should it be replaced? Much appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • '29 Starter.jpg
    '29 Starter.jpg
    72.8 KB · Views: 91
  • Bendix Starter Spring.jpg
    Bendix Starter Spring.jpg
    58.9 KB · Views: 78
The reason it failed is fatigue .. after 90 years. The original drive is different than the modern drive in that the gear is cushioned on the modern drive, metal to metal on the original.

If your car is 12v using a stock A 6v starter it is advisable in my opinion to use a modern drive. The original is effective too, just pay careful attention to the spring retainer bolts and locks.
 
Support a model A suppliers, purchase a new usa made bendix. If you replace the spring, bolts, locks and your time buy a new bendix and forget it
 
The good bendix reproductions are the ones with the larger spring bolts. The US made one is relatively stout. The old one with the smaller bolts are weak by comparison.
 
I have a bunch from a retiring rebuilder that are used , but crack free. Good for spares also. See the for sale listings.
 
I will never use a modern starter drive again. They do not engage the ring gear to full depth and thus cause wear and greatly reduce the life of the gear. They were never meant for a Model A - they are adapted from some other application. Stay clear and use a "proper" one.
 
I agree with Synchro909. I have personally broken 2 modern drives made in India and one made in USA. All on a 6 volt system. They not only partially engage the ring gear but come to a halt on their own internal mechanism and destroy it after a while. The original bendix comes up against the starter end plate as an end stop as it fully engages the ring gear.
There has been a lot of comment fromTerry Burtz and Marco Tahtaras in the past too, pointing out these problems.
SAJ in NZ
 
The later type bendix came out in the Y-block years and the design was carried over into the FE engines as well. In this Case, older is better for this type. They likely engage better on 12-volts too.
 
Synchro909 said:
I will never use a modern starter drive again. They do not engage the ring gear to full depth and thus cause wear and greatly reduce the life of the gear. They were never meant for a Model A - they are adapted from some other application. Stay clear and use a "proper" one.
Click to expand...

Never had a problem with the "Modern" drive. Do you check engagement and shim the starter for proper engagement? You should check engagement on the original type also.

https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/product.htm?pid=976163&cat=
 
Last edited:
And save your old spring for comparison with the new.

There have been reports of new springs being wound "backwards" - which may be good for some applications - but not the Model A.


Joe K
 
Thanks for all the comments. More drama...determined the armature shaft was bent. Seems all the part suppliers are out of new starter armatures. I'm assuming this means the same if I were to send my starter in for a rebuild. eBay listed one for $450. Any thoughts if this is a supply chain issue and I need to be patient or is this part becoming obsolete? Suggestions? Suppose I could just hand crank...
 
TMB said:
Thanks for all the comments. More drama...determined the armature shaft was bent. Seems all the part suppliers are out of new starter armatures. I'm assuming this means the same if I were to send my starter in for a rebuild. eBay listed one for $450. Any thoughts if this is a supply chain issue and I need to be patient or is this part becoming obsolete? Suggestions? Suppose I could just hand crank...
Click to expand...

I've straightened a few bent starter armature shafts. They are tough , especially the 5/8" ones but with a bit of oomph, they will yield. I do it in the lathe - I don't have a press.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top