Old stock mini electric starter repair

balogh Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:37 pm

I bought this mini starter from the late and great Roger Freiheit, the inventor of the PET exhaust throttle for COX 010 TeeDee-s, a while ago. He sold it together with the PET throttle.

Old stock mini electric starter repair 20210910

It has developed some internal contact problem, most likely the power cord connection to the push button is defective. The motor starts but loses power when the cable is slightly pushed or pulled in or out of the casing.

I saw this starter brand here in one of the posts and assume someone else is also using it on 049 and even 09 engines that I have found it a very good starter for.

Does anybody know how to disassemble it? I removed the circlip on its front disc that I thought retains the motor in its casing, and expected the motor will slip out of the casing, but it does not budge. Most probably the pushbotton holds it back and needs to be removed somehow before the motor comes out of the casing.

Any idea or experience would be highly appreciated. Thank you.

Marleysky Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:47 pm

Yeah, getting it to come apart might just break the whole thing. Roddie had a nice thread on how he handbuilt a decent 1/2A starter, a quicksearch for 1/2A starter turned up this thread from RCuniverse.

https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/1-2-1-8-airplanes-70/11639564-1-2a-starter.

It appears all the manufactures of 1/2a starters are no longer in business. I'm going to guess the PVC casing was heated and the starter motor inserted and held in place when the PVC cooled. Probably you have bad solder connection on the motor or switch.It's a quick easy fix IF, you can get to it!
Good Luck!

Marleysky Mon Sep 20, 2021 3:56 pm

I told Gene to "Hop to it" and this is what he came up with....

Old stock mini electric starter repair Screen47

balogh Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:10 pm

Thanks René. Too bad if it was made non-removable from the casing, it is just hard to accept to retire this lil starter without a chance to repair it.....this throw-away-and buy-a-new thing is more the motto of manufacturers of today than those in the 60-s and 70's when this starter was made?

**944_Jim** Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:10 pm

Please, attempt to salvage the cup and insert.

Personally, I'd consider losing the case entirely just to re-use the motor and wiring with the cup and insert. Then I'd be measuring up some PVC or CPVC to " re-manufacture" a suitable case.

30D41_Jim

balogh Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:14 pm

Thanks Jim there is no way I dump this lil starter, I will put it aside to later times when I will dedicate more efforts to repairing it.

**944_Jim** Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:02 pm

Balogh,
I know nothing about the starter you have. I suspect the button is part of a "sled-aasembly" that slides the motor and button out in one "tray." From there, the motor may be glued I to the case, or has melted.in over the years.

A careful hit with the "saran-wrap hair dryer" may make the motor un-stick itself the the case.

Maybe drill a small hole in the end, and look inside for any clues. I bet a 6mm/1/4" hole should allow for some "Eye-Spy" into the case without damaging anything...as long as you don't drill to the hilt.

30D41_Jim

Levent Suberk Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:24 am

Looks like Miller RC Products starter. Perhaps casing is electro welded so can not be open.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/miller-2a-model-airplane-engine-140289180

balogh Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:00 am

Thanks, Levent,

mine surely seems to come from that starter design family, and as such may have a permanently closed casing not lending itself for a non-destructive disassembly...

Levent Suberk Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:10 am

Cutting the switch side end carefully and then epoxy gluing or using MEK adhesive can be work.

getback Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:16 am

Looks from what you give us to go on the works would come out the bottom endcap / have you tried tapping the driver to see if will break loose ?

balogh Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:29 pm

Thanks Eric, yes, tapping and even pushing through the cable hole with a dull ended dowel did not make it move..I am afraid prying the casing off with irreversible destruction is the only way to disassemble it.

706jim Thu Sep 23, 2021 7:51 pm

Get someone to 3D print you a new body. Owners of those things are always looking for something to make with them.

balogh Fri Sep 24, 2021 12:05 am

Good point! Very Happy

Supercub Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:58 am

Hi baloch
Looking at your starter, if you would like to use it, I would drill into the back end to be able to probe up to where the motor extends within the case and then saw open the case just beyond this point to expose the switch wiring so that you can cut out he bad part of the wire and re-solder to the switch. If you can glue the plastic case together again, that's good or improvise with a length of PVC drainpipe to repair the case. My starter is housed in PVC piping which was softened with a heat-gun and pushed over the 540 buggy motor. (The drive end is rubber fuel hose forced over the gear on the shaft of the motor, as per CEF advice. Thanks!

Old stock mini electric starter repair 20210810

fredvon4 Fri Sep 24, 2021 6:24 am

I bet money that starter (because you found a circlip) is able to be disassembled

I would like to see several good photos of the entire starter

it probably dry castor glued tight... the push button may be snapped into the case side but motor end should come forward once circlip removed.....hopefully the switch to motor wires are long enough.

Heat entire assy in oven to 45~55C then push/pull motor in and out is what I would try

balogh Fri Sep 24, 2021 8:08 am

Thanks Supercub an Fred, I will first try the non destructive way as Fred suggested, but I am not sure and need to find out how the pushbotton pops out, because that protrudes inside the casing and blocks the axial movement of the motor. If all ideas are exhausted then I will go the surgical way..

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