MTFCA Forum

I would like to hear from any one that has purchased the 12 volt starter from Lang's. The new style gear reduced one, priced at $439.95 Our you happy with it?
Tom

That would be me. I run 12 volts and previously had an original-type 6volt starter that I used with an old bendix spring as a dropping resistor. I also have a high compression head and there were times when the engine was warm that the old starter didn't want to turn it over. I'd have to crank the engine to get it off compression and then it would start.

From all appearances the 12 volt unit is a quality item. It installed easily and I was able to do away with a separate solenoid as one is built into the starter. I have a few dozen starts on it so far and have no complaints. It doesn't look like the original Model T starter but from what I can see that is the only drawback. Being geared gives it a little more ooomph!

When I pulled the old starter I put the bendix cover back on although I suspect you could replace it with a blank cover. The new bendix engages from the front not the back like the original.

Just talked to a guy on our tour that has one, works great.

Thanks for the feed back guys. This is the kind of suff i'm looking for. It is going into my speedster engine and I don't mine the different look. My engine is a full pressure oiling system with a rajo head and about 6.5 to one compression ratio. My old starter working on 12 volts worked ok,but I made sure not to grind on the starter to long. It was a little bit hard on the bendix drive, as the spring got deformed a little after soom usage.
Tom

Does the direction of engagement of the Bendix from the opposite side cause any issues with the ring gear? There is no lead-in on the gear teeth on the back side. In a rebuild the ring gear could go on backwards, but even then would the lead in be on the other side of the gear teeth?

Allan from down under.

You can change the wiring on the stator of an original 6 volt starter to make it into a 12 volt starter. The original 6 volt stators are wired two parallel, two series so that a pair of windings sees 6 volts when using a 6 volt battery. By changing the stator windings to 4 in series each set of two windings still sees 6 volts when using a 12 volt battery. By doing this, the starter behaves properly with a 12 volt battery. I did it with my starter and it has worked flawlessly for about 5 years now. You just have to pay attention to the direction of the windings to make sure the stator polarity is correct. While you are at it you can re-wrap the stator windings.

I have one on my Model A . It works fine on the square side of the ring gear. It engages before it cranks.


John

I installed one on my 25 last week , have used it a dozen times, a much quieter sound engaging, so far so good.

If you convert a 6v starter to 12v I *highly* recommend buying new field coils and using those for the conversion. I've done several of these 6 to 12v conversions and using old coils is just asking for trouble... you might be able to rewrap the outer coil but that does nothing for the 100 year old insulation INSIDE the coil windings. Shorts there are very common, especially after handling and cutting/manipulating the coils for the conversion.

Jeff

That new starter has been around for many years and was original equipment on some foreign cars.

Only the Model T adapter plate is new.

That gear appears to run on the flywheel all the time, with the Bendix hidden inside.

I have only seen photos so far, but the one that has been installed that I know about works fine.

There was nothing in the installation instructions about turning the ring gear around.

Buckeye electric in Ohio has been selected as a repair station for those starters.

I asked Generator Joe about them a few months ago.

He said they are an authorized repair station, and they have a complete set of spare parts, but none have went bad and needed any parts yet.

The bendix gear does NOT run on the ring gear continuously. It appears to be cut so as to smoothly engage the ring gear. It certainly sounds like it is engaging smoothly.

Good to know about Buckeye electric. They do good work.

Is this starter the pre engaged type? as opposed to the bendix that hits the ring gear while spinning?
Alan

Alan, To the best of my knowledge, all new starters engage the Bendix before the contacts are made to turn the motor. The Bendix isn't relying on spinning to engage.

One of my customers has a Frontiac overhead and wanted more torque than the rewiring of a standard T for 12 volts can provide. So he bought one of these geared starters from Chaffins and it seems to work just fine. It’s been in service for close to a year and he is still happy.
I too was concerned about it engaging from the front but so far no problem.