Over the weekend I took My 1911 Model T to the Old Threshers Show at Ellsberry Mo.
There were several times there that I noticed that the crank was hard to turn. Oh oh what's this all about! I discovered that the starting crank spring was working it's way into the sleeve that the crank goes into.
My question is: Is there supposed to be a washer to prevent this or could I just bend a tang on the end of the spring to keep it from entering the sleeve and causing a problem?
The parts book doesn't show a washer. I'd bend the spring.
I just dealt with mine. My problem (I suspect it is yours too) is that the crank bushing is worn out. It will be virtually impossible (at least I couldn't figure it out) how to bend a crank spring to make it work without getting jammed up every now and then. I wasn't comfortable with the potential of turning the crank into a propeller every time I turned the motor over, so I bit the bullet and put in a crank rebuild kit. By far the hardest part is getting the old bushing out, but a cold chisel and a sledge made it possible. Just one more data point.
A simple fix if your not ready to replace the T-3903 sleeve, take a T- 2709 spindle washer and remove the tab, this will slip over the crank and prevent the spring to enter the sleeve, Bob
The crank bushing (and most other bushings on a T) is very hard to remove if not cut lengthwise first, then it's easy. I use a hacksaw.
Herb,
Joe G. from the club here.
Yeah they're correct your crank sleeve (bushing) is worn excessively. They wear kind of funny. At both ends like the old sand clock you see in pictures of time running out. Hyperbola shaped from the hand crank acting like a lever rocking thru the bushing. You'll have to replace it. If you need help let me know.
What I did to fix a spring trying to slip into the bushing was take two pair of needle-nose pliers, grab the spring about a half inch from the (pan end) end of the spring wire and put a kink (twisting the two pair against each other) into the spring wire so that it stood out from the crank handle. That is all it took.
It is much easier to do this with the spring off the crank handle. But I did it on the car.
Bad idea for the day. But it worked. The bushing and crank handle wear heavily to one side, leaving an "egg-shaped" bore. I have, in the past, slipped a piece of brass tubing, cut and trimmed to fit in that wide worn area (about a half inch wide and two inches long, took some filing on the edges). A tight-fitting washer in the front (behind the spring) will keep the partial shim from working out forward. The ratchet piece will keep it from working out to the back. And the piece seemed to settle into the worn area and make cranking work better. THIS IS NOT A GOOD LONG-TERM REPAIR! But it worked fine till it was more convenient to repair properly.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Herb if you need the new bushing I carry them from Bobs Antique Auto in Rockford Ill, and I'm close to you