76 ironhead starter trouble
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis MO
Yeah, oddly enough, they work by hand, just not in the bike. I would blame it on a stripped pinion gear shaft, but the smooth case of the pinion gear continues to spin even when the gear does not. The funny thing about all this is that I was gonna lose the electric start completely as I ordered a kicker for the bike but my partner who owns a motorcycle shop, convinced me to keep the electric start but add a kicker. Should have stuck to my guns but oh well. I guess I'll try another pinion gear.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,306
Likes: 864
From: Sheboygan, WI
Looks to me like the starter is turning the wrong direction. Look at the video and pay close attention to the bendix gear as it slows to a stop. It's turning CCW, and should be turning CW. I'm guessing that the starter has been serviced recently and got put back together wrong.
Last edited by d_slat; Jan 22, 2010 at 08:41 AM.
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis MO
I dont believe so. The ring gear need to turn counter clockwise so the starter gear would need to turn clock wise. If it were turning the wrong way then the pinion gear wouldn't walk out the shaft, correct? It would stay recessed.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,306
Likes: 864
From: Sheboygan, WI
that gear gets pushed out by the starter solenoid, the twisted splines on the shaft are just to help with retraction and engagement, they don't push the gear out. If you look closely, after you let off the button and the gear is coasting to a stop, it appears to be turning counter-clockwise, not clockwise as it needs to be. I had to watch the video 5 times or so just to watch it, but i'm almost 100% sure it's turning the wrong way.
Last edited by d_slat; Jan 22, 2010 at 08:53 AM.
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis MO
The solinoid just puts it next to the ring gear. The twisted splines then give it the extra half inch to mesh with the splines.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,306
Likes: 864
From: Sheboygan, WI
no, the splines allow the gear to "slip" in a way so the solenoid can fully engage the gear to the ring gear before it positively engages. Watch the video, you'll see that the gear is turning backwards!!!
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis MO
Looks to me like the starter is turning the wrong direction. Look at the video and pay close attention to the bendix gear as it slows to a stop. It's turning CCW, and should be turning CW. I'm guessing that the starter has been serviced recently and got put back together wrong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IkQBZjXgBU
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