Anyone ever rebuild a Chevy 235 starter? Mine ****ped out on me 2 days ago and the local rebuild wants $168 to do it.
Brushes are about $5.00 that and a can of brake clean out about do it. I'm ***uming you have the tools and skills. The solenoid can also be cleaned and repaired with no added parts if you are lucky. Good luck
Brushes,front and rear bushings, flip the solenoid disc over, you should cut the armature and test it on a growler after you cut it.Check the fields for not being shorted to ground . It aint rocket science but you need the tools. Like Jim asks "Whats ****ped out?" Oldmics
6Volt? Often the old ones may need extensive work...cutting and grooving commutator, maybe even a re-wind, probably a dip for insulation....ask what they are doing for that amount.... Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Pay the money. If it goes wrong again you've always got a come-back. I've wasted hours (possibly even weeks) of time over the years trying to do $20 fixes that inevitably result in me walking home.
It made a deep grinding noise a few days ago, then worked fine for the next two starts. Then two days later it made the noise but worse, almost didn't start the car, but then kicked it over. The next day I just got the clunk from the solenoid plunger but it didn't try and spin at all.
I'm reading about it in the service manual but I'm not crystal clear on what it's saying. Before i took it into the shop, I pulled the commutator cover band off and the two through bolts, but only the drive housing (nose cone) came off. The commutator end frame (is that the same as the brush holder frame with pins?) didn't seem like it wanted to move. As far as the brushes and all that, do they stay attached to the commutator end frame (brush holder frame) when it's pulled off, and removed/replaced from there? There was some type of fiber material around the armature that isn't mentioned or shown in the parts layout either. What is that? Sorry for all the questions but I'd hate to take it from the shop only to take it back and in pieces
The unit is basically 4 large pieces. The drive end housing , rear plate , the armature housing and of course the armature. Smack the end plate with a hammer and it will come loose from the housing. There is a fiber washer on the commutator end but it sounds like you may have bigger problems. Post up a picture of the guts and lets see what you have Oldmics
I'm going to pick it up from the shop tomorrow and crack into it so I'll be able to post pics up. What are you thinking it could be? There was a bunch of sludge inside that was dripping out when I took the band off. I wiped it out as much as I could without taking the end plate off, since I couldn't get it off
More than likely it will be loosely ***embled when you get it back. I would think they took a look inside it to be able to quote you that price.
Brush holders don't come out, you change the brushes by taking out the screw that holds each brush (one brush at a time) and removing the brush and installing a new one. What year is the engine and is the starter six or 12 Volt?
51 would have a 216 rather than a 235. Does the side cover on the right side of the engine go up and cover the side of the head or does it stop just below the head?
If it is six volt this should be the starter https://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p/RSE2449657/RSE2449657_0270683847
That does look like it. I'll have to give them a call tomorrow and see what they say. That'll be a hell of a deal, especially if it comes with a solenoid
All the **** under the band end is probably worn copper brush debris. The commutator end may have had tape over the end of the housing.That might be the fiber material you are speaking of. Taping the end of the housing was a common thing that rebuild shops did for water protection.You also could have an exploded armature. You did see that that starter in the provided link was out of stock. What shop did you take the starter to? I"m right around the corner from Butch Durams electrical shop on B&A Blvd. Oldmics
The thing is, it spins freely by hand. I see it says out of stock now. From what I could see, the brushes looked ok, I think
I just had a similar one done, also from a Chevy truck, and it ran me $65. It was converted to a hi-torque and I told him to go through it 100%. Maybe yours needs some hard parts not covered in a normal rebuild?
I'm gonna talk to them today and see exactly what they want to do to it. I was thinking about it while I was making breakfast for my kid. If I take it back and order the parts, then find out it's something I can't fix due to lack of access to the correct parts, I have to take it back to them anyway. Then not only am I out 168 but also the cost of whatever the parts were plus shipping. I may do what legendlives said and just let them do it. That way I have a warranty if something goes wrong. If they're just doing a standard rebuild, I'm doing it myself
Check with you local NAPA. They may not have it in stock, but they can usually get it within 2-3 days.
did you try to "TEST" it on the floor with jumper cables? be careful. if the armature is hitting the fields then NAPA to me is the way to go. lifetime warranty any where in the USA. 12v starters are readily available if you are thinking of upgrading.
if you get a 12v starter, you also need a later flywheel. And for those folks who had a "similar" one rebuilt for less money, it was probably a 12v starter, which looks similar, but none of the parts interchange.
Alright everybody, I just got off the phone with Napa. They can have one in for me tomorrow for $99 with a $0.61 core charge and it comes with a solenoid. It looks like I'll be hanging on to the original as well. I'll take it apart and take pics so you guys can see it and if I can rebuild it, I'll have a backup
This is how I got it back lol. This thing was screwed so it's not a huge deal but I expected it to be in one piece so I had something to reference when I was taking it apart.
They supplied the labor to take it apart and estimate the repair. Since you said no to the repair, I don't blame them for not putting it back together. Nobody really wants to work for free. Did they charge you anything for the estimate?
I agree bt isn't that kiND of like someone taking a tv to the repair ship for an estimate and then they give you back your TV in pieces?
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