electric starter repair?

mooseye

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My starter stopped, so I dissembled it and two of the magnets have separated from the housing.
Can I just glue these back in?
 

jteuban

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What does it go on? If the mag. just slipped away you might get away with glue. But if they cracked then your going to need a new one or a rebuild. Also is the gear and spring in good condition?
 

mooseye

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two of the four magnets that appear to have been glued to the housing came loose. They are not broken and the rest of the unit appears to be in good condition. Brushes are good and commutator looks good, spring and gear are good.
 

jteuban

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Hu, I would try it out and see what happens. Make sure that you use strong glue, such as crazy glue or gorilla Glue so that nothing comes apart. but be carful there is always a possiblity that something could spark and then you have a fire, which is not good. Oh also make sure you set the spacing correctly so that the magnets clear the internals. If this does not fix it you will have to go for a rebuilt or maybe a new one.

What did it come off of?
You can even find some after market jobs that work just as good.
 

mooseye

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It is off a B&S 8hp vertical shaft, Murry I think, riding mower.
I think I will give it a try. I can bench test it so as not to have to reinstall it if it doesn't work.
Thanks for the input. Just needed a little guidance/encouragement to try it.
 

jteuban

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Any time, I have not had this prob, but my friend did and I fixed that starter motor using this method.
 

KennyV

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The spacing from the outside shell is not going to be a problem... the gap between the magnets should be equal...
Don't try just any glue...
If they come loose while the armature is spinning you take a big risk of cracking them...
If you have an industrial supplier, usually the same ones that carry bearings, they will have an adhesive made for fixing magnets to motor shells... 3M makes it there is also a similar product with the Permatex name on it, also Loctite 392.
Clean them up and reapply...
Note the polarity of the magnets... do not put one in upside down, they must be at the same poles N-S ... also be sure you don't mount both in up side down because the starter will run backwards ... It's an easy job, but once set up, you will not get a redo if your not spaced right or backwards.... :smile:KennyV
 
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mooseye

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Went ahead and used some epoxy I had laying around and it is starting as well or better than before the problem occurred.
Thanks for the help.
 

RHytonen

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I also have a broken starter. When the original starter (which lasted THIRTY YEARS on this 10hp Tecumseh-powered ancient Craftsman/Murray rear engine rider) finally shattered a couple of magnets, I bought a new (Chinese) replacement. It was all I could find, quick, on eBay.

Two years later, the robot spot welds on the bracket came loose and the starter dropped to the frame, hanging by the wire but still whirring when I pressed the start button (Yes, the keyswitch died long ago and I rewired the mower. I work on it a LOT, being retired on a fixed income.) Now I'm considering carefully (TIG) rewelding those spots, and/or more places (like the bracket edges - farther from the magnets.)

If that doesn't work or warps the case (I do know how to manage heat and warping, but don't know what this Chinese "popcorn" pot-"steel" will do;) I'll try migrating the new magnets and armature into the old (VERY sturdy, US-Made) case. I had assumed magnet mounting would be difficult to impossible. It is interesting to note how this previous poster made out!

One has to wonder at this point how good the Chinese epoxy is. But I happen to KNOW those magnets are ALL very fragile, powerful, and difficult to manage even in pieces, inside a steel case, and may not be removable in one piece. That's why I'm trying CAUTIOUS tig welding first.
 

KennyV

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I also have a broken starter.
... I happen to KNOW those magnets are ALL very fragile, powerful, and difficult to manage even in pieces, inside a steel case, and may not be removable in one piece. That's why I'm trying CAUTIOUS tig welding first.

WELCOME to these Forums...
Do a series of tack welds, you sound as if you know what your doing... Don't let the heat build up & everything should be fine.
As you have guessed, removing magnets & reattaching them is likely Not going to happen..
One magnet that brakes becoming 2 or more pieces actually becomes a multi-pole motor... and that side of the starter motor is not designed to be multi-poled... There is a special adhesive used to attach magnets to steel, anything you can buy will not come close to the industrial stuff. Epoxies will work for a short time...

Weld back what you have, all manufactures have the occasional bad weld get through... :smile:KennyV
 
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