Starter Maintenance

[Bob_Roller]

Semper Gumby mentioned in a posting on batteries, about having the old Bosch starter, not the new lower current draw starter than Motorrad Elektrik has been advertising the last 2 years or so.

Has anybody dis-assembled their starter and given it a good cleaning and lubrication ?

I did this to my starter about 3 years ago, as part of the troubleshooting for hard starting when the temperature got below 55 F.

The reasoning was that if the starter was drawing too much current when turning the engine, the ignition system might not have enough power to put out a good spark.

I removed the starter, and dis-assembled it, and all of the lubrication was gone, it was bone dry.

About an hours work to get it all cleaned up and lubricated, and when I re-installed it in the bike , the battery voltage went up about 1 volt during cranking, as compared to the reading before lubing it.

Just a thought, as the riding season is coming to an end for a lot of riders.

Total time for removal, dis-assemble, clean and lubricate, re-assemble and re-install is about 5 hours.

Something to think about during the off-season.

You get to spend some 'quality time' with the bike !!!

[dewjantim]

Also replacing the brushes while it is apart is a good idea. Its cheap and only takes a couple of minutes.....Dew.

[nhmaf]

Hmm, I've already got a pretty long list of things to do this winter, but this might be a worthwhile investment of time,
and hopefully not too much money.  It seems whenever I start taking stuff apart, I find things that I really wished that
I could have been blissfully ignorant about for at least a few more months (this doesn't usually apply to the BMW)

[Semper Gumby]

Is there a show and tell on servicing the Bosch Starter somewheres???

Thanks in advance.

[Bob_Roller]

Bill

I looked, and didn't see any before I took mine apart.

It's pretty straight forward, the only problem I had was getting a lock ring back on the motor shaft.

Euro Motoelectrics has all of the parts for a starter rebuild if you find a problem once you get in there.

[Semper Gumby]

Bill

I looked, and didn't see any before I took mine apart.

It's pretty straight forward, the only problem I had was getting a lock ring back on the motor shaft.

Euro Motoelectrics has all of the parts for a starter rebuild if you find a problem once you get in there.

Rick is one of the nice people isn't he?  Thank goodness he is around to help.

[Justin B.]

Hehe, Bob is attempting to start yet ANOTHER Airhead religious cult!!!  [smiley=ROTFLMAO.gif]  Me can now add the "Church of Starter Maintenance" to the list which includes "The Holy-Moly Order of the Spline", "The Church of Latter Day Steering Head Lubers", "Our Lady of Perpetual Wheel Balancing", etc...  

[Bob_Roller]

Justin

How about the 'Holy Roller Church of Starter Maintenance' !!          [smiley=engel017.gif]


But really, it's an overlooked item, that when it gives you problems, it usually is at the most inconvienent time. Usually a starter is one of those forget about it items, as the vast majority of people don't keep a 4 wheeler around long enough to have starter problems on average.

[Semper Gumby]

Does this mean the Sword of Damocles is about to come down on this thread??  

[Justin B.]

Yeah, Bob, starters are pretty much neglected and ignored on any vehicle.  It is good for folks to be aware of the fact that they ARE serviceable and maintenance parts are readily available.

[Ed Miller]

Bob, is your starter a Bosch?  Mine says "Espana" on it so I figured it was a Valeo, though I've never paid much attention to it and don't really know how to tell the difference.

[Bob_Roller]

Ed

Mine is a Bosch, I believe the part number was 147.

If really can't remember there was anything else stamped into the case or not, last time I had it out was about 3 years ago.

[billygoat]

 I discovered the "charging" problem I thought I had was really my starter motor. I cleaned it out and my starting problems went away for a while. I think the problem may be heat related. The bike, a 1980 model starts up fine but after a 20 mile ride I can't get the starter to turn over again. Just a loud click when I push the start button.  I have replaced the battery and gone through the charging system but am sure now it starter related now. Maby a new solinoid? The problem went away for a while but it's back and I hate to push start. These bosch motors seem overkill for the job so problems are few. "starter was drawing too much current when turning the engine" sounds worth looking into.
b.g.

[Bob_Roller]

billygoat

There are two 'sintered' bushing/bearings installed in the motor castings, at the ends of the motor shaft, they are prone to getting worn out, they can be pressed out and replaced again if they have excessive wear.

They need be 'soaked' in oil for awhile, the bushings are made from a granulated material, and 'absorb' oil into the little nooks and crannies, to be released over time.

If you take the starter apart, make sure you use a high temp grease, so it doesn't melt and contaminate the armature area.