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I normally don't like side loading ball bearings, but it appears that's the only way to remove this?
Press out from the inner race?
Does the new one come with bearings, and is it OK to press it in? I don't see any other way.
Press new one in by the inner race?
Go ahead and push on the inner race. The bearing is not a press fit in the housing, the resistance you are feeling is an o-ring in the housing that make it feel like a press fit, only it isn't.....
I don't swear much but when I do, it's for damn good reasons!
He got me a new drive, and it came without bearings. It wasn't hard to pull them off my old unit and install on the new. There was a spacer ring between the gear and one bearing so I re-used that. Maybe that's my mistake? New unit on top, has full width gear, old one has a tin spacer built onto the gear.
Gears went in OK, and big gear looks flush with the intermediate gear.
But when I assembled the drive housing to the solenoid it didn't quite close up. I was using a nut driver, and even a rubber mallet to try seating it. I called the shop and he said it should seat, maybe try a little more torque. So using a short ratchet handle, it started closing up until:
That's when the swearing started ! ! !
Now a friend of mine is looking for an old starter he has and I'll swap the solenoid housing to mine. But what went wrong? Should I have not used that spacer ring? Or maybe it slipped off center? I will try again without the ratchet, and if it doesn't go back together I'll have to bring it to the shop. But first I need some advice on what I did wrong. Thanks
This starter is driving me crazy! I figured out the case problem, the replacement drive was a little longer so I drove one bearing further on the shaft. Got it assembled and bench tested it unsuccessfully. This was a perfectly good starter when I removed it, except for the drive slipping.
Here's what I did: Spare battery neg to case, pos to big post. Jumper from pos to little connector. Kicked once, now won't go. Draws a lot of current though, had a charger on the battery and it pegged the charge ammeter. Disconnected wire from solenoid to starter, hooked battery positive to starter, it barely turns over. Tried solenoid without starter and it didn't pull in. Took off end cover and with solenoid energized pressed plunger and needed to go half way in for coil to pull in the rest of the way. I must be doing something wrong because both solenoids do the same thing.
I would like to hear what you guys think, but I gave up and brought it to the starter repair guy who sold me the starter drive. He'll look at it tomorrow. I need to get this bike back on the road!
If anyone is interested in what a bad starter drive looks like:
