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Hi all,

last weekend my starter stopped tuning the engine over. I suspected the starter clutch centrall LH thread bolt had loosened so I looked into it this morning.

Found the central bolt to be loose! (as expected) also found the three allen bolts that hold the clutch assembly together were loose and 1 was broken!



I'd like some advice on the wear on the Hub, Torsion, Damper - Is this how it should look with a sight lip. Can I still use this? Can that lip be machined off?

I'd also like to know how people manage to hold the crank whilst torqueing up that left hand thread bolt to 51 ft-lbs? I have a few of the special tools but I don't think I have that one (57001-1037)

I am late with reply and no time to go deeper at the moment, but it seems like the wear is a direct result of the dumper being loose and not aligned. I have photos of failed starter clutch and what loose bolts create. For the most part, the thin plate around the holes can be hammered back in shape and it is not very important structurally to have it perfect. That wear - if all is put together tight and correct, with the inner hub round, the springs and pins moving freely and correct, I don't it matters. What matters is having the gear sit correct and not wobble, the pins and rollers engage and disengage correctly, and all that after being secured with correct bolts and correct tension.

Here's what I would do. Replace the inner hub (make sure there is no wobble due to oval shape), secure all with correct bolts and torque, check/replace the pins/springs/rollers.If sure they are good, when checking, leave them alone.

The starter failure is usually due to the bolts getting loose, and the whole assembly becoming loose.

Hope this helps. I'll post photos when I have time, but I think they wouldn't tell more story.

Here is a good damper. There might be a slight wear from the gear, but that's normal and should be even.



In your case, I think the gear was wobbly and affected the damper unevenly. I said before that the wear you showed shouldn't affect the function, but I am changing this. You should check your gear, and the inner hub. It's possible they are not round, and affect the damper on engagement not evenly, causing this wear. I suppose it would work fine for a while if all else was good, but it would lead again to wear of the inner hub eventually and all would be not even again. I'd probably weld that missing area up and ask a machine shop to cut it all evenly on a lathe. Also, machine the outer hub of the gear, and change the inner hub (bronze I think), to have everything true.

Here a clutch with damage cause by using wrong bolts. 0nly one correct, the other two much too short. 0ne was just a bit tight, the other one loose - definitely the torque was not correct, plus there was no thread locking compound! As a result, there was undesired movement of the starter clutch and one of the push pins and the spring got damaged. As seen in this photo, the cover plate was also affected. The loose roller pushed the cover plate out and it was rubbing against the gear.

Luckily, I was able to straighten the cover plate, and there is no other damage. The slightly different shape of the plate around the bolt is irrelevant, as it has no function other than stay in place and hold the rollers inside. The gear inner hub is still nice and round. With new springs and push pins the clutch will work just fine.



Here a correct undamaged looking starter clutch. The two have different dampers as they are from different models, but the starter clutch is identical.

Hi Stan,

too late for me for the suggestions in your last post as I had already re-installed the starter clutch. Having tack welded the ends of the starter clutch bolts I am not taking it apart again until it fails again.

Thanks for feedback though

That will keep things together for sure! I yet have to remove the starter clutch and gear on my second one, I'll be posting photos and that will hopefully put some light on the issue. I have a feeling that you will be fine for a while. If things get sticky, heat up the left engine cover with a hair dryer for 10 minutes in direct high setting. It should free any stuck parts and crank well.