Gege Blog 10.1 Starter Engine A (f)

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Gege Blog English – 10.1 – STARTER Engine “A “ -

Démarreur "A"

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

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Andre brought me a starter today, maybe the one that was on his car. Fair condition, but dirty: Unfortunately, as you can
see, the end pin with the starter is missing.

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(Here are pictures of a complete starter (which was for sale), to see the missing parts. )

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From this poor quality copy , here , it appears to be parts 11777 (shaft with propeller) and 32867 (starter pinion). Also
missing is the spring fixing screw and its retainer. There is no bell as on a Traction starter, the 11777 shaft runs housed in a
hole in the clutch housing.

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Before breaking my head looking for these parts, I decide to test it as is on a battery: it works very well, so it deserves a
refurbishment.

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Next step, disassembling and complete cleaning, and we launch an urgent call for missing parts ... as well as any
documentation, exploded and detailed and good quality parts list for this starter, thank you in advance!

Sunday 10th February 2013

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Dismantling, cleaning and checking today.

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I start by cleaning the outside with petrol, and I take apart what's left of the launcher (we still haven't found the shaft with the
propeller and the pinion ...)

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Then disassembling the + terminal, the big nut doesn't screw on anything, it's the terminal coming from the battery that must
be conical.

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I take out the 4 long screws that hold the whole thing together...

The armature must be removed to unscrew the small (badly placed) nut coming from the winding on the casing!

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And that's when the battery of my camera fails! I put it on charge, but in the meantime I keep disassembling. The armature is
firmly blocked by the bearing in the front flange, and its housing is blind. I put a screwdriver in the hole of the shaft on the
launcher side, I put the whole thing, pressed via the screwdriver, and I manage to take out the armature by hitting the casing,
phew!

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While waiting for the battery to be charged, I measure the bearings. The one on the brush side has exotic dimensions, like
15x37x9, unknown at SKF. But after cleaning with petrol the old dry grease that almost blocked it, it turns freely and without
play. Moreover, it would be quite difficult to extract it, so I will leave it after a careful re-greasing. The launcher side bearing is
a 17x40x12, SKF 17 6203 (and 2RS1 if you want to seal it). But it is also in very good condition, and it will be reused after a
good greasing.

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Then I carefully clean all the parts, I pass a blade between the collector's slats and I finish it by painting it. The battery APN
being charged, I am ready for the family photo :

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The carcass is so clean that it's a shame to paint it, I console myself by telling myself that like that it would rust quickly!
The brushes and their holders are as good as new

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The beautiful collector: :

The flange on the launcher side

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What's left of the pitcher:

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And I pass three coats of satin black over the carcass, according to the boss's wishes...

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Now that the paint is dry, I'll reassemble it.:

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Grease in the brush bearing housing:

I present the flange, there is a centering pin

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Place the screw of the brush connection on the winding of the casing (left hand, right hand having taken the place of the
armature!)

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and I tighten it.

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I can put the armature, I grease the bearing (but I forgot to make the photo!).

To insert it, I have to keep the brushes up, but it's not easy with these filiform springs, and for this one I have to wedge it with
a screwdriver:

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I grease the bearing housing in the flange on the launcher side :

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And then I close it with the four long screws, tightening them, and the bearings fall into place:

There you go: And that's it: It's done.

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I test it again on a battery, it turns very well, quietly, and faster than the first time I tried it.

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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

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It remains to find a conical terminal for the + feed, to replace the parts of the launcher, and to find the half shaft and the
pinion ...

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Andre found the starter parts. He also had the magnetos checked. On my workbench, the essential electrical parts of a 1924
Citroën C3 5HP: starter, dynamo, magneto, and even a starter switch. The ammeter is missing... It's more succinct than a 2013

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He also found an original pulley for the dynamo!

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Citroën C3 !

I prefer Michel's ... Anyway, it's too late, I don't dismantle the dynamo anymore !!!

It's time to get down to "serious" things. Here is what was missing, but the assembly is slightly different from what was left on
the starter :

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On the left, the "new" axle : the front part with the propeller and the balanced starter pinion which slides on it; the shaft
which crosses the whole and whose rear part, fixed on the starter armature axle by a 6 screw, is free in rotation on the front
part, but blocked in translation by an internal circlip (I suppose) that cannot be removed. The connection between the starter
and the propeller carrying the pinion is made by the spring which dampens the torque when meshing in the crown gear. On
the right the other different assembly that we will not use, and which we will (perhaps) never know how it works:

I'm starting to get used to cleaning the parts (...), first with petrol, then with a nylon brush on a drill, it comes out very nice:

There the two half-axes are upside down

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And in place::

Comparison of the two assemblies:

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: And there upside up:

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I'm reattaching the spring on the front part, the stoppers are fortunately intact

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: And I'm reattaching the whole thing on the starter shaft, after greasing everything that slides (except for the propeller and
the pinion, which will simply be oiled).

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I also put a thin layer of grease on the outside to protect this wonderful part from oxidation for the next 90 years, and I tighten
the stoppers : .

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I will still have to renovate the straps!

THE END