Great job on the starter. Good for you. Wow, $250 for a rebuild? Here in rural PA I can get a starter rebuilt for $40.

 

Yeah, $250 is a bit much when I can buy one instead. I know I didn't have everything I needed for a "proper rebuild". I thought I'd be OK with the armature and coils as the starter worked. Just slow.


No I did not paint it at all..........yet. Someone got into my paint for their own project and I had to get my truck out of the driveway before I had an H.O.A issue.


I was going to use black epoxy paint on the outside. Undecided as to the inside. It was bare metal when I took it apart.

 

Mac's (and others too, probably) want 250 bones for 6 volt generators. $100 core charge on all the older stuff too.

 

Not only am I a tight a$$, I like to repair instead of replace if I can. You know what you have when you're done and I enjoy the challenge.


I get on line and research the repair if I have never done it before. Find the best price I can on QUALITY parts and go for it.


I knew the price of worse case scenario was still less than buying a starter. Especially if you figure in the price of shipping of the new one AND the core.


I got lucky and did not have to buy an armature and coils.

 

For $40, what could they be doing? That's not even an hour's labor, and a set of brushes is about $10. I don't see how they could be replacing the bushings, growling the armature, cutting the commutator, etc. Sounds like a clean and paint job, to be honest.

 

And - paint doesn't conduct electricity! Starters and generators (or alternators) depend on low resistance mating connections with block and brackets for proper troublefree operation. Lots of stuff comes from the "rebuild" shop with enamel spread far and wide. Always check for this.

 

Another reason beside the generator brushes not being copper, is that the generator runs continuously, and at higher RPM than the engine. The commutator on a starter armature doesn't wear much at all on a rig that starts easily. - Bob

 

This was 10 years ago and he is a reputable older man. The starter still works great today..... remember rural PA.

 

$40.00 ? That is the price of a new Bendix ! That is what it cost to repair the starter in the stock truck .

 

Did a little poking around, and found a few HAMB posts that seem to discuss generator and starter armatures at length. Well, not seem, they really do. I love the internet! Doesn't matter how obscure the subject, there's bound to be a dedicated webpage or thousand page .pdf for download and a half dozen YT videos.

Generator brushes are mostly carbon? Starter brushes have a bit of copper. As you mentioned a starter armature doesn't run too much, and the current is very high.

"The mica is not usually cut from between the bars of the armature on a starter motor. This is because the brushes used on a starter have a high copper to carbon content and would otherwise wear out the commutator very fast."

 

The brushes on these old Ford starters have more than a "bit" of copper in them - much different than on the GM's of that time period. - Bob