Lots of success on auto starters and the design is the same.

Starter sticking is more in the Bendix than in the starter body.

Look for accumulated black dust and wear on the fork. Check contacts and brushes for wear. It's not so much a lubrication problem as dirt and accumulated wear on components adding up. Check the nose bushing if there is one.

If you're lucky enough to have an old time starter shop around that actually rebuilds starters take it to them. If they're one of the new generation shops that thinks rebuilding is cleaning and repainting then DIY if you can get internal starter parts.

 

:ditto:

A lot of starter problems can be solved with just a good cleaning, and a little lube.

 

My 212 had same symptoms and all I did was spray some wd 40 on the starter at the shaft! Took a couple of applications but it solved it!

 

....was spray some wd 40 on the starter at the shaft!

Ditto here.

Speaking of starters and me being a dumb a$$. Was mowing the lawn tonight and my phone rang (daughter) so I shut the machine off and shot the bull for a bit.
After a few minutes I hung up and went to start the ole girl and....click....click so I figured the starter stopped on a bad section as it's done a long time ago. Went and got a stick and proceeded to rap the starter with no luck.
&^%%$# walked back to the garage and got a couple of wrenches to remove the shroud so I could turn the starter over by hand, forgot one size so back I go to get the right size, finally get the shroud off and turn the starter over a couple of times, still click, click &^%%$#.
Start running thru my mind how I'm going to get the ole girl back to the garage and it dawns on me, turn off the pto you stupid a$$ :banghead3 .
To add insult to injury I'm starting to mow again next to a pond in the back yard to attempt to reclaim it and get rid of all the bullrushes and crap so I end up getting 'er stuck . 1/2 hour later after I get unstuck I park it and call it a night....MIke

 

Ditto what Subeluvr said about taking it to a starter shop it should lots cheaper than a new starter.

Mike I've also had a senior about trying to start my JD with the PTO on - worse yet I drove mine nose first into my pond - good thing it wasn't the "deep end"!!

 

you know thats funny soneone should mention starters.I just put oil on the end of the starter where the bendick is.the starter would slip.so I washed it off with gas and now it works fine.kohler 20 hp magnum . po left a small socket in behind the shourd it went between the starter and the ring gear.it didn,t hurt it but I was lucky.I just had my 135 massey starter rebuilt 150 bucks.not cheap.

 

I have been hitting it with some WD-40. I do also have some CRC electronic cleaner spray. Might try some of that as well. Been wrenching on this thing a lot - would be great to take a break and not get into a starter right now.

I see a few on ebay that are under the $60 mark.

 

The fine black dust (dirt) from the wearing brushes can really gum things up in a Bendix drive.

Just spraying WD-40 in there may treat the symptom but will not cure the disease and starters, as many other things, will pick the most inopportune times to fail.

Cure the disease... remove the starter and repair it properly or have it done.

 

We have found That the best thing to do is take it apart and wash it in kerosine. It seems to have just enough oily residue that makes it work well; If need be We take a hack saw blade and grind the rake off it and use it to cut the mica down between the commentator; It works it our shop;

 

Yup, the trick is to get the Bendix clean and use minimal lube. I've had great success with a little graphite powder. A light film of anti-seize also works.

Indiscriminate lubing with whatever is handy causes more problems than it solves.

 

I think I need to clean a starter as well. Does any one know any good youtube video's or links to a forum page that has a tutorial on how to clean a starter and put it back together? I don't want to mess it up.

 

Cleaning is easy, it's the brushes that are the fun. Surely there are some links.

 

thank you abc I found this youtube video looks pretty easy.

 

The bendix on my 300 kept sticking too. Cleaned and lubed it, many times, the best I could, but it would only work for a while. About two years ago, finally gave up and bought a new starter. Been fine ever since.