Starter with bent shaft

C

cfordman

Member
I'm working on a friends car. he has had it for over a year, he has never used the timing lever always driving retarded. he only makes a mile trip to town so no highway driving. the car was used for a wedding sunday and numerous people were in the car, on Monday the motor kicked back and broke the ears off the Bendix spring. I pulled the starter and thought I would get him off easy, but the shaft is seriously bent. since he never used the lever he never checked the advance when he started it Monday ( he never checks the timing lever )

I looked at the timing lever and it was pulled down about 1/3 of the way. is this enough to cause this? it has electric module no points out of wack. I don't want to destroy another starter without touching all the bases. we pushed the A down hill to start it and it ran great to my shop.
 
With respect to the owner I would have reservations working on his car. A lot of variables so to the questions it apparently did bend the shaft. It sounds like it will happen again.
 
Willie Krash said:
With respect to the owner I would have reservations working on his car. A lot of variables so to the questions it apparently did bend the shaft. It sounds like it will happen again.
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the owner is 85 and the car makes him happy. if the advance is what caused the problem I can disconnect the timing rod and tie down the dist lever so it doesn't happen again. the question is will about 1/3 of the travel on the advance lever be enough to cause a kick back?
 
You need to first check the timing, follow Andrews instructions. Make sure the spark lever is all the way up. It should not kick back at 1/3 down . I have often started A's with full advance without any problems. Sounds like the timing is not set properly. You may want to consider a http://www.fsignitions.com/ FS Ignitions distributor, they have a automatic advance so he will not have to worry about the timing. Set it and forget it. I'm willing to bet your timing is set incorrectly.
 
Oh they are rather pricey. But so are starters and bendex. Possibly ruin the ring gear, is a big ouch! JMHO I have three A's , one has the FS ignition , so I often forget which one I'm driving and don't remember to retard the spark. You could also remove the rod to the advance and just set the timing at slightly advanced and lock it there. But may overheat on a longer run.
 
For a driver like this guy, I was going to suggest an automatic advance of one kind or another. The FS distributor mentioned above is not the only option. There is a Nurex made mechanism that goes in the distributor drive. It is a purely mechanical device, invisible and works OK. I'm sure there are other options for an auto advance too.
My biggest concern is that with an auto advance fitted, this guy will have a car that runs properly. If he was happy with the way it ran fully retarded, he might not be able to handle it once it is "off the leash".:D
 
Early 28 cars have 1/2 inch starter shafts ... they bend easier than later ones

which are 5/8 inch ...

Parts for the Early 28 starter aka Abell starter are scarce and expensive.
 
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A Model B distributer with automatic advance might be an option but remember you also need a Model B timing cover if you want to time it "by the book".

Charlie Stephens
 
When I was rebuilding A starters to resell i always checkde/straightend the the shasft before dissassembly, lay it on the floor, put my foot on the housing and rotated the shaft so the bend was up and wacked the shaft with wood mallet---now I have a large vice that holds it-slip a piece of pipe over the shaft--I don't work crouched on the floor much anymore
 
Another way is to put it in a lathe, between centers and spin it by hand. Whack the high side with a lead hammer. Sometimes a long shaft will be bent in the center of the long shaft (between the end of the shaft and the front of the armature) in which case you must chuck the shaft at the point of the bend. Use a wooden lever against the armature and push it until straight.
Terry
 
I would suggest a Mallory, single point distributor. Easy installation & completely automatic advance & NO fiddlin' with the spark lever.
Bill W.
 
I made a tool to straighten bent shafts, but you can also use a press and two V blocks, or even rest the ends on wood blocks, then press down on the high spot.
 

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Nicely Done! Pure genius! Wish I'd thought of it first! The only thing missing is the indicator!
Terry




Tom Wesenberg said:
I made a tool to straighten bent shafts, but you can also use a press and two V blocks, or even rest the ends on wood blocks, then press down on the high spot.
Click to expand...
 
Terry said:
Nicely Done! Pure genius! Wish I'd thought of it first! The only thing missing is the indicator!
Terry
Click to expand...

Actually the indicator is the large flat washer on the bolt that pulls the large brass ring down to straighten the bend. Watch the washer bob up and down as you turn the armature, then turn the armature so the washer is raised to the highest spot, crank down on the large nut, and recheck the armature to see if you pulled the bend out. The shaft will spring back, so you have to pull down a bit more than you'd think. This tool makes it quick and easy to straighten the shaft.
 
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