Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

My starter has been getting worse and worser for a long time so I have finally decided to have an inspection of this 53 year old part.
Having not seen inside a starter before I believe it has some serious issues.


Above you can see the contact disc is free wheeling on the shaft.
I'm guessing that there should be some bushes in there somewhere???



The disc is quite pitted so I would think a new one is in order?



The remains of what I think was the bush/washer that was resting in the solenoid end cap!



The condition of the solenoid HT contacts. Also very pitted!



Anyone have any knowledge to share as to how to repair?

As a matter of routine I will replace all the insulating washers and bushes since they are all crumbling away.

I want to keep the car Positive ground so I guess that rules out the fork lift starter replacement.

You can put in the smaller and better 2000 starter motor. It doesn't care if it is positive or negative ground. That is what I did on my 1500.

Thanks Steve.
Does that mean any modern replacement isn't polarity sensitive?

steve_car wrote: ↑Sun Nov 11, 2018 2:16 am You can put in the smaller and better 2000 starter motor. It doesn't care if it is positive or negative ground. That is what I did on my 1500.

Does it hook up differently ? I would think it would run backwards
Keith

Starter motors run in one direction no matter how it is powered, positive or negative ground. The field and armature windings are both swapped when you switch polarity. There may be some gear reduction starters with permanent magnet motors but I have not seen one.

cktrap wrote: ↑Sun Nov 11, 2018 7:42 am

steve_car wrote: ↑Sun Nov 11, 2018 2:16 am You can put in the smaller and better 2000 starter motor. It doesn't care if it is positive or negative ground. That is what I did on my 1500.

Does it hook up differently ? I would think it would run backwards
Keith

You would not hook it up backwards. The OEM 2000 starter is a series winding DC motor, it doesn't care about polarity and will function fine. That would be my choice. You can find a good used one fairly cheap here (35$ or so?) and it is a much better unit than the ancient 1500 part. A good 2000 starter will spin a 1500engine with no effort.

No idea on the newer gear reduction units - they might work fine or may be polarity sensitive-depends on the internal design.

This is good to know!

Latest news: I picked up a new item today P/N MXS 215, which unfortunately doesn't fit.

The clocking of the solenoid is about 180deg out.
Flange and mounts are perfect but the solenoid fouls on the engine block
I did some searching of my own the net and have come up with another P/N MXS 313 that "looks" like it is a good fit.

Name Description
Suits Unit Make Mitsubishi
Voltage
12
Number of Teeth
9
Rotation
CW
Starter Mount Type
2 Hole
Pinion Diameter
29mm
Wet / Dry Clutch
Dry
Flange Diameter
82mm
New / Reman.
New
Mount Centres A
110mm
Mount Hole Diameter
12
Pinion at Rest
7mm
Power Rating
1.2kw


It doesn't have a "nose" but a flat flange mount
I will keep you folks informed.

The one that doesn't fit is quite likely for an L series engine. For an L16 rather than an R16, common parts store mistake.

Well, time for an update.
After trying two aftermarket starters and not having any joy, I decided to fit a new solenoid to the original Hitachi starter.
It has gone well and we now have healthy cranking and liftoff as they say.
I have documented the procedure on my Shutterfly site https://nissanman.shutterfly.com/117 and it starts at image 939.
In essence, the starter motor was fine but the insides of the solenoid simply disintegrated!
I now have a modern Bosch solenoid operating the 53 year old Hitachi starter

I hope this may help someone else who has the same issues.

Very nice, but you didn't detail how you changed the connection on the front of the solenoid.

Not sure what you are referring to.
The relay "make" contacts are wired to the main battery cable terminal on the solenoid and the solenoid spade terminal.
When the relay operates, the contacts bridge the two just like the Ignition switch does when in the START position.
Fortunately, the solenoid is a very simple device and is not polarity sensitive.
I'll get a schematic done today hopefully to explain

After a small delay I have finished off this little project.
Have a look at https://nissanman.shutterfly.com/117 starting at image #960.
Always something to do

Cute 65. Certainly viable to swap the solenoid. That will work for a while.

Not sure why you had trouble sourcing a compkete replacement though?. Any of the starters folks use for a 1600 or 2L should fit fine - my guess is folks kept sending you incorrect starters.

For future reference, The later styler Mits 2000 starter (SRL) is a much better design than those earlier 15/16 starters. Used units (that work) can be found for $25 or so and rebuild parts are available.

Great job on the SS replacement panel!