Starter motor position

Dave Bilyk

Dave Bilyk
Supporter
Hi all, I had a problem last week when the starter wouldnt engage properly. It now know that the gear was only just in mesh with the flywheel ring gear.
I noted that the holes in the starter flange were already opened out about 1/8". so I gave it some more of the same which now puts the bottom bolt right at the edge of the flange, but that will keep me going for now. Neither the starter nor the ring gear appear to be badly worn, and the shaft bush in the starter is ok, so it seems to me that the starter isnt right for the engine / gearbox adapter plate, or the holes in the plate are not positioned for this starter. The pitch of the tapped holes appears to be about 4 1/8", I overlooked measuring the distance of the holes from the ring gear to see how they relate to the mesh.
The starter is a Bosch, on the casting it says 423 , on a sticky label it says L???135 20896LEB B000131102

Any comments welcome, just trying to understand what I have and whether it's ok. I searched, and have the information on alternative starters, so it is just the basic hole and mesh pitch information I am interested in.
cheers
Dave
 

Dave Bilyk

Dave Bilyk
Supporter
I used the car today, but the starter still has problems. The starter body is hard against the sump so I cant get the gears into any closer mesh. The flywheel teeth are not that bad, so I think that I may get away with replacing the starter in the short term. I guess that some of the alternative geared starters may have more clearance to the sump so that I can make sure the teeth are properly in mesh.
Is this assumption correct?
Long term, say over the winter I can do whatever is necessary, but I was going to Knockhill this weekend, so would like to fix it for that.

regards
Dave
 
I know that some versions of the SB ford use different depths for engangement (back of block to ring gear distance). Not sure if this could be your problem.
 

Dave Bilyk

Dave Bilyk
Supporter
Thanks Gary,
by inspection, the depth seems ok, although I will double check. The radial engagement seems to be the problem. I checked by allowing the starter to move away from the ring gear 1/16", the starter then spins freely. When I opened out the holes to move the starter in, it worked at first, but when the engine stops in one particular position, it screeches and doesnt turn the engine. Now the teeth on the flywheel dont look that bad, but I cant move the starter in any further because the starter body is against the sump. I suspect that the teeth have never been properly engaged, and the relatively small combined wear on the teeth, bearing bushes and pinion bore have been enough to cause this problem long before time. So I think I need a starter which can move further in without hitting the sump.
regards
Dave
 
Another possibility is that the belhousing and flywheel are set up for a different number of teeth (thus diameter). My mind is a bit rusty, but I think I remember there being a couple of different flywheel tooth counts for the SB. Any one else familiar with this?
 

Dave Bilyk

Dave Bilyk
Supporter
Got the starter motor reconditioned yesterday at a Bosch agent for £35, the bush replacements, and the new pinion, plus moving the starter further in has certainly done the trick for now, so Cinderella will get to the ball tomorrow.

regards
Dave
 
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