Spridget Gear reduction starter.

Gary Wittman

Gary Wittman

Well-known member
Does anyone know if there is a source for replacement brushes for the Spridget gear reduction starter motor? If not is there a source for just the motor?

For some reason the wire that attach to a motor brush broke off on one of my starters. I would like to rebuild rather than buying a whole new starter.
 
Most of them are remans with a lifetime warranty...........so you unbolt the spridget adapter and take it back to the auto parts store
 
There are also some other upgrades that the rebuilder can do for the starter. There are some heavy duty "wings" for better current carrying and some vibration dampening on leads that can be done. Just ask the rebuilder if they do anything special for race type applications. If they don't know, then find another rebuilder. Our local rebuilder is pretty good at this and does starters of varying types for the local dirt and asphalt racers. I've had quite a few of the various gear reduction starters rebuilt there.
 
Jay Lutz":2mkf6s28 said:
Most of them are remans with a lifetime warranty...........so you unbolt the spridget adapter and take it back to the auto parts store
Click to expand...

What is the part number? The only numbers I have relate to the Isuzu starter, which has a mirror image casting/terminals/motor setup to the one that came with my adapter. Can be made to work, but it is a PITA and requires part swapping.
 
I found the brushes I need at eurtonelectric.com. I also got a lot of advice on what can be done to improve the durability of the starter. Once I get the starter back together and mounted, it should last longer than I do.

Thanks for all the advice.
 
Go on E-Bay, Look at the starters, for Trooper.
#16878 Remans for, about $70.
The mounting ears, on these are much stronger, then the made up ones.
Also, fill the area, at the FINE wire[inside] comes in, with some silicone.
This will keep it from breaking.
Da Killer Beez
 
Thanks for the information Dick. Someone else told me about adding silicone to the inside wires. Is this referring to the solenoid, the motor or both?

I was also advised to build a bracket that attaches to the front of the starter and the engine, to reduce the vibration of the starter. Apparently the vibration is the cause of the damage inflicted by our race engines.
 
Dick Luening":2kisjj8x said:
Go on E-Bay, Look at the starters, for Trooper.
#16878 Remans for, about $70.
The mounting ears, on these are much stronger, then the made up ones.
Also, fill the area, at the FINE wire[inside] comes in, with some silicone.
This will keep it from breaking.
Da Killer Beez
Click to expand...

Third time trying to post this, hope it doesn't eventually triple post!

A couple of caveats on #16878:

On a Spridget the stock mounting makes it stick out from the motor sufficiently that it will interfere with the passenger side firewall. This is usually remedied with a few bashes with a sledge hammer.

Also, the terminal for the battery connection will be under the starter. Depending on your setup, it may be easier to connect the cable before you install the starter.

Per my earlier post, the motor/housing of 16878 does not easily swap onto the fabricated adapters as it is a mirror image of the motor/housing setup on those. I contacted Gustafson about this and he says that it is tough getting the right motor just with a part number as there are several styles of motors that are interchangeable with a given application. He also says his retailers sell a "rebuild kit" which just consists of the motor/housing that bolts to the adapter. Not as convenient as walking into a parts store and perhaps a bit more expensive. I don't have a quote, yet, but Gustafson says it would be about half the price of the complete starter which runs $190.

In addition to the silicone, I have had good luck with adding a bracket on the back of the starter that runs up to the alternator mount. I believe this reduces the vibration in the starter that causes failure.
 
I found one for $59 so I ordered it. I guess I will just have to figure out how to make it work. Thanks for the tips. Now, I know it is not a simple drop in substitute.

I have many options now that I have the new brushes and a remanufactured starter along with my other backup starter.
 
dmeadow":2e9x4o16 said:
FWIW, I was quoted $75 plus $12 shipping from http://www.britishstarters.com for a rebuilt motor (not including adapter) for the Gustafson-type gear reduction starter.
Click to expand...

Dredging up this old post to add some new information:

I ordered a "rebuilt" starter from www.britishstarters.com. After three weeks, several emails and a phone call, I finally got what I would charitably describe as a repaired used starter. It was packed loose in the box and was in pieces when I got it. The housing was bent and there were bearings rolling around in the box.

It was not anything I would call rebuilt or remanufactured. The gasket on the solenoid housing was so old, stiff and reused that it was almost totally squeezed to nothing. The contacts inside the solenoid were burned in several places, so obviously had not been replaced.

Thanks to another forum, I've since got the right part number that has the connections on the proper side. NAPA has them under part number 2446107. They can also be found under Delco-Remy part number DRS4051 at Rock Auto. Be very careful when crossing this over to other parts numbers-- some have the connections on the wrong side, and will work in the original application, but not with the adaptors for the Midget.

I recently bought the NAPA one and it is definitely correct. A much better quality rebuild than the britishstarter.com one for less money, as well.
 
David,

Excellent info. Thanks for posting that. I've got a burnt-up starter sitting on the shelf. I'll have to take a trip to my local NAPA.
 
I just took one that looks like the one Mike uses except the front plate is broken. I wish I had seen this before the runnoffs. If you want to pay the shipping I will ship it to you gratis.
call 925-890-2086
 
Went through three of these in one weekend. Found the culprit to be the thin, unprotected wires that connect the solenoid to the power. With the help of Ron Bartell and his crew, found a good solution of opening the back of the starter, soldering a jumper wire and using RTV to absorb some of the shock/vibration. That solution lasted the 5 sessions I ran on it for the rest of the year
 
Erickz":2deqg9ho said:
I am about to buy a NAPA starter, what exactly do I need to do to it to prep it?
Click to expand...

I'd be interested in what others have to say, but here is what I do:

Open up the back of the solenoid (three screws). Take out the plunger. You'll see two solid copper wires coming up from inside the solenoid and soldered to the connections. Schmootz (technical term) silicone around those wires. Enough to cover them up, but don't get it all over the solenoid contacts. You're trying to dampen any vibration of those wires. Put the plunger back in and button it up. Jason says to use a jumper wire, though I'm not sure where he is putting it. I have used a stranded wire to bypass the solenoid, rather than an external jumper as described below. Not sure if that is the same thing Jason is talking about.

If you are using an external solenoid, you pigtail a jumper from the spade terminal on the outside of the starter to the battery connection.

I also fabricated a bracket that goes from the back of the starter (attached to one of the long screws that holds the casing together) to one of the alternator mounts on the side of the block. The idea is that also would reduce vibrations amplified by the cantilevered nature of the starter. Originally I used a fairly thin piece of metal (1/16"?) since it was to act like a finger on a vibrating mirror rather than a support piece. I found that the vibrations were sufficient to break it, so went to a 1/8" bar. So far it has held up.
 
What I found out is, stabilizing the starter is very important. From what I was told, that cantilevered starter has a high amplitude vibration at the high rpm we run at. I built a bracket that fastens to the block and kind of encapsulates the front end of the starter. So far it has worked well.

Now, I need to get a battery that still has enough charge to start the engine after a session on track. Both my main battery and spare battery decided to fail me at the Runoffs.
 
Gary Wittman":2hf1eav3 said:
What I found out is, stabilizing the starter is very important. From what I was told, that cantilevered starter has a high amplitude vibration at the high rpm we run at. I built a bracket that fastens to the block and kind of encapsulates the front end of the starter. So far it has worked well.

Now, I need to get a battery that still has enough charge to start the engine after a session on track. Both my main battery and spare battery decided to fail me at the Runoffs.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I use a Miata battery. AGM and relatively small. Will last the weekend without recharging, if needed, though I always put the charger on it in the paddock.
 
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