Starter/Generator question..

I have a spare one,just hope I dont have to use it..:hide:

I used the tractor again today to mulch some leaves for about the same length of time,and it was balky at starting--it was pretty cold here last night and the night before,so the oil was probably thick--like most of my other tractors with the same starter/generator,when you go to start it,the belt likes to slip some when it hits a compression stroke...

The only way to get it to start is to full choke it ,with the throttle completely closed (at idle)...otherwise it'll stop at every compression stroke,and if you try moving the throttle up at all it'll just skid the belt..and if you leave it closed,the idle speed is so low it stalls..(All my other HH120's act the same way though )..

After several attempts I got it to run at idle while it was still cranking,then I was able to open the throttle a crack and it kept running..

I wore the battery down pretty good,I thought I was going to have to jump it with cables off a car battery--when I do that it does spin better,but the belt slips more too..(belt seems tight enough and looks OK,but I may replace it anyway,seeing I have a few new ones hanging around)..I put the charger on the battery and am going to leave it on trickle overnight..

The starter/generator did get hot after using the tractor like before..it did crank over after I used it and it started better,the battery must have recovered some,and it probably cranks easier with hot oil than cold..

Maybe the original battery :dunno:cables are due for replacement,but they look good and all the connections are clean & tight..:dunno:


This tractor will likely sit out the winter,its my "mowing" tractor mostly..

I am going to have to fire up one of my other Suburbans and see how hot their starter/generators get after its been run awhile..it's time to wake them up anyway,and finish getting them ready for winter...

Are these delco remy starter generators?

If so I'll provide a bit of info on them, If not disregard this post LOL

These are a completely sealed unit and will run considerably hotter than most starters, the delco book says about 250 to 300 degrees at operating temperature

These were designed to be a maintainer charger only and were not designed to be bringing low or dying batteries back to life, this will put a heavy strain on the unit and make it run much hotter, also if your voltage regulator is in need of adjustment and over charging that will also cause premature failure. The Delco dealer told me these should be run to charge from 13.0 vts to no greater than 14.5 volts


Hope this helps.

I think the bushings in my starter/generator are either going dry,or have some excess play,or both--I noticed a whiney noise at just past idle after getting it started today...it still charges fine,and is quiet at higher RPMS but I suppose this wont fix itself,or get any better as time goes on...

I have been using the battery charger to keep the battery topped up after I discharged it a lot trying to get the engine started a few times..so its not being overburdened that way..

I'll likely not be using this particular tractor too many more times this year,being my "mower"..I'll be using the others for snow removal and firewood gathering..

Thanks for that info Bolens 1000--I think that its probably not "overheating" if up to 300 degrees is "normal"..but I assume the bushings might be heating it up more than it normally would...any extra drag they create also might be responsible for it not spinning the engine over as fast as it should..the ones on my other Suburbans spin faster--but those engines may not have as good compression either..

Now I know where to put my hands to warm them up when I'm snowblowing..!..too bad its practically impossible to touch,its buried in there so well..

69l46vert said:

Sometimes a weak battery will beat on the generator too. I'd bet you are one of the few here who know what a growler is.

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Yeah,I'm old enough!..actually got to use one too,one of the old parts stores I worked at had one hiding in the cellar,all covered with dust..

If it turns out I need to get the S/G rebuilt,there is a local rebuilder a friend has used many times to get alternators and starters "fixed" when no parts stores had any or had to wait 2-3 days to get one in..they have been reasonable,and only fix what it needs,unless you tell them otherwise..
But I do have a spare one on hand already ..

well tractor a holic i know your up there in age. (not trying to be rude lol). but if you can get starter generator off. take it apart, clean up everything. inspect armature if its black or has wires burnt to where they are not connected then armature is bad. on the pulley side of starter generator theres a bearing in the plate. remove 3 screws and little cover then you should be able to tap the bearing out. check it to see if its good. if so then grease it (i like wheel bearing grease) and put that side back together then grease bushing on back side and your good to go also check brushes while your in there. theres rebuild kits on ebay for these and last time i checked they were 5 - 10 bucks with brushes and a bearing. on a good day it takes me about 30 minutes to check out a s/g but i am only 24 lol.

There were two styles made, one with bearings on both sides and one with a bearing on the pulley side and a bushing on the other, the bearing ones will naturally run longer but there is a spot for a oil cap to be pressed in on the bushing models, there is a felt wick that goes to the bushing that if you keep it wet with oil should give you longer bushing life.

I have been working on a Delco S/G issue also. It appears they can start but not generate if one of the field windings is open. I had another S/G but it had a broken rear plate. Got things sorted out and have good output now. I also found they don't like a weak battery and do run hot trying to charge it. I put an new fully charged battery and new heavy cables in the machine and not only does it crank fast, it does not run nearly as hot.

The battery in the tractor in question was new in March of this year--its a "Ever-Start" from Walmart though,which I had doubts about being powerful enough to start the tractor with a starter/generator..but I bought two of them,and the other one whips my other HH120 right over...that engine might not have as much compression though..

Both batteries have 230 CCA amp output,maybe this one is a dud though..--it recharges quickly if I wore it down after repeated starting attempts when the engine is cold..like I said before,the cables look to be original too..the ignition switch was new last year...

I'm thinking the S/G is getting stiffer and is drawing a lot of amps while cranking perhaps,seeing it now "sings" at certain speeds..also maybe the 15W-40 I'm using is too thick on frosty mornings,which doesn't help any...

I just got finished painting and mounting the S/G on the machine. The battery is an Interstate 500 CCA.

This is the first S/G tractor I have owned and worked on. The others are newer style engines with the small starter and flywheel alternator. The rear plate bushing is new as are the brushes. I put larger 1/4" hex bolts in place of the little screw terminals.

The cold weather may also slow the starting as you mentioned.

The tractor I'm having the S/G issues with does act like that,but I'm not sure if the compression release is bad or not,because if I jump it with a larger car battery,it doesn't bind up as bad on a compression stroke..
If it is a bad compression release then that will really tick me off--I'm not into taking the engine off and tearing it apart..
It might get another whole engine before that happens..or sold!..

Tractor-Holic said:

The tractor I'm having the S/G issues with does act like that,but I'm not sure if the compression release is bad or not,because if I jump it with a larger car battery,it doesn't bind up as bad on a compression stroke..
If it is a bad compression release then that will really tick me off--I'm not into taking the engine off and tearing it apart..
It might get another whole engine before that happens..or sold!..

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open hood hold throttle closed if it spins fast then you let go opening throttle up should fire. i am not only one with a issue like this rustyoldjunks suburban 12 is same way. hes one who told me trick to get it running lol