Starter woes

[tomoad]

The starter on my promax is real slow on inital crank up then catches it's breath then turns faster but i also notice starter gear sometimes doesn't retract all the way back down. thought maybe it was the starter selnoid so changed it, no help, then i checked all of my wire for corrosion all connections good, and a fresh optima battery but still slow on inital crank then goes faster. Two questions, I up the compression to 145lbs, but it was slow before uping compression. will the timing if set high do this, like a car does if the timing is set real high(perfect example) & higher compression make the starter slower? when the motor gets hot and driven for a while it does alot better, not quite as slow. thinking of buying another starter, wanted to see what you all thought before i do.

[M.CHAPMAN]

Brushes in starter may need cleaning or replacing. WOT timing will not effect it. Higher compression will not effect it much either. My Drag motor has 230 lbs of compression and I spin it quick with a bone stock starter and 12volts. If you have a hot battery and good clean connections then the starter is to blame.
-Michael

[tomoad]

i did check the brushes they looked fine, also cleaned, must be the armature. i will order another starter

[Tom D.]

I had mine rebuilt for just under $100 locally.

Tom

[j_martin]

A little piece of scrap metal between commutator segments, causing an intermittent short in the armature would act like that. It'll draw a lot of current when it's shorted and be hard on things.

Best bet is to let a starter shop have a go at it. They check it all out and either repair the bad piece or replace it. You also get all normally wearing parts, like the drive, brushes, and bushings replaced. Then it's good as new.

hope it helps
john

[NEECAPR]

I had a problem that sounded exactly like that once. The real problem was just dried out grease and crud in the sleeve bearings. Cleaned them out with paint thinner and re-oiled them, plus the bendix, and it has never given trouble again to this day---25 years later!!
Advice from above to check the commutator and brushes is vital also.
Good luck!!

(BTW, this problem was so bad that the motor had to be hand started when cold. The starter current draw didn't leave any voltage for the coils.)