Old deluxe starter given to me last year. Worked fine until I tried usingit this year.... spins but no torque...
I took it apart and cleaned the contacts in the shaft, I did not replace the brushes, I did try stretching out the springs and also added a little piece of credit card behind the brushes ( thinking to add pressure to push the brushes towards the shaft ) I also filed the switch contacts clean... put it all together but its no better...

I'm guessing its toast? is it worth getting new brushes?

pop

Did you swap out the battery? Or does it plug into your field box?

If it needs brushes, my "OLD" Sulivan starter had brushes that were very close to those used in a skill saw. I had to sand them down a touch, but the fit was pretty good.

Battery has a large effect on how the starter works. If it plugs into the flite box, battery may be tired. It it attaches to the battery in your car, not idea there.


BUzz.

Brushes can be found at most hardware stores but before I opened it up to replace them I would hook it up to my car battery first. A weak starter is often the battery, not the starter. After John Buckner took a bunch of us by the hand and showed us the 18 volt battery found at Harbor Freight for $10.00 plus the fast charger for it at $5.00 there are a gang of us now using them. Talk about something that just plain works!!

A borrowed starter worked with my battery but I'll check the startewr going direct to my car battery...

Popriv,

Did you clean the wire connections to the battery - both ends?
Also, check the wire to make sure it is not broken internally.

Good Luck,
KW_Counter

Hi Popriv
I'm not certain of this, but please consider it. You added a piece of plastic credit card to put more pressure on the brush spring. I believe doing that caused the electrical connection to the brushes to be partially interrupted; the plastic is probably an insulator. Please consider one of the suggested alternatives instead.

Hi!
It's probably not the starter! It's the battery!
Connect the starter to your car battery and see what happens!

Good point and I beleve Villa may be correct and the plastic card may be a mistake. If after you test the starter on a car battery without the card stock and it is a little better than one of the wimpy and worthless box batteries, its worth uping the 'voltage'.

To at least the 18 volt Harbour battery. Its not clear exactly which starter you have but most I have found the switchs have handled the 18volt battery fine.

If your 'box battery' is the 12v 7 to 11 AH wet or gel variety then that combined with and older starter with worn berings, possibly poor brushes, long wires to a box and one with the small diameter contacts in the switch is a recipe for frustration.

Try at least the cheapie 18v you will not regrete it.

John

Nope, the electrical connection goes through a wire that is attached to the brushes... the plastic spacer may not be helping but its not interfering with the flow..

The way this wire is attached to the brushes made me think that they are special order? I'll check out the hardware store as suggested.

I have a newer starter that works fine on this battery...

H'mmm, the bannana plugs on the end of the cord are smashed and bent, I'll check those, maybe I'm losing something there?

I'll play with it a bit more before I give up..

Thanks for the tips

steve

It's been a long time sense I bothered to open up a starter. First one I had I opened it up and cleaned it good with electrical terminal cleaner and then new brushes. It added some more time to it's life. Then when it went out again I found a new one in the box at a club swap meet for 10 beans. When it slowed down I just put it on a shelf and went to Hobby People while they were having a sale and picked up a Hanger 9 Power Pro HD for 20 bucks, it's still with me today and using one of the HF 18 volts John mentioned. It will roll over a DLE 30 on a fresh charge.{Usually!} I tried the 18 volt pack on the old starter on the shelf and it got with the program too. I shot it good with the electrical cleaner, it's now a back up starter.
My point to this ramble is sometimes it's just better to cut your losses and buy a new one. Just something to think about.

check the wires near the plug ends. is the wire still bright and shiny or has it oxidezed. if the metal of the wire oxidized then it does not conduct electricity well. cut a few inches off until the wire looks good again.