Starter Motor

[DTro]

Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything obvious here.

2003 500 Polaris

The starter will push the drive gear out and engage the flywheel, but will not spin the flywheel. I can hear the starter keeps spinning after it engages.

Initial thought is that there must be a stripped gear inside the starter motor or something.

Any thoughts?

[DTro]

[Macgyver55]

Looks like the bendix is bad. That is the small gear that engages the flywheel. It has a one way sprag inside it so it releases when the motor starts. Not uncommon, and normally available separately!

[Surface Tension]

Grind me a pound too would ya

[Surface Tension]

Looked like the gear bumped a couple times but the bendix didn't throw all the way out. WD-40 the snot out of the shaft just in case there is gunk. It also looks like the gear did engage all the way and you have a worn tooth on the flywheel. By hand turn the clutch to a different position and then try the starter.

I was typing when Mac was.

[DTro]

From what I can tell, the gear engages fully and the teeth are good, it just pops in, spins and pops out.

It's hard to tell in the video, but the small drive gear isn't what is grinding. It is stopping after it engages. It looks like it keeps spinning, but it's not.

[Macgyver55]

I really couldnt tell from the video if the small gear is still turning when it is fully engaged or not. Like Frank said, turn the flywheel by hand and see if the big gear is ground off. Then try cranking it in a different spot and see what happens. Its also possible that the splines inside the small gear or the armature could be damaged so it only spins when not fully engaged. I still think its either a bad gear or its corroded inside enough that it wont engage the sprag.

[DTro]

Yes, I tried different spots on the flywheel. I also sprayed the shaft with wd40.

You are right, it only seems to spin when not engaged.

What about when I turn the bendix by hand, what should happen? I can turn it both ways.

[Macgyver55]

You should only be able to turn it one way by hand.

ITS BAD!

[DTro]

Great....

I guess I'll have to He-Man it for a while.

Thanks

now to figure out how to pull it off of there.....

[Macgyver55]

A quick search shows them available on that familiar auction site. 75 bucks for a whole new starter for an 03 500 Classic.

The drive is available separately elsewhere but the price is not listed.

On a side note, I have a brand new shield for a snowmobile helmet that was sent to me by mistake. When I notified the vendor they said keep it and sent the right one. Not sure what it fits but if you want to post a pic of yours I can see if they look alike. In the mean time I'll search the part number and see what I can find.

[DTro]

Thanks Mac, I appreciate it.

I'm thinking 75 to replace the whole thing is probably easiest.

Here's what the helmet looks like.

[DTro]

It's funny because I downloaded a service manual and it is very vague about the starter motor and removing it.

I see several mounting bolts that may or may not have to be removed.

Looks like a good job for a Sunday afternoon.

[Macgyver55]

Looks like the shield side tabs are different.

Cross checking the numbers comes up with a Z1R brand helmet and its for the Duke model. Anyone who needs it.... its free!

[Surface Tension]

If you can get a new starter for $75 then go for it. The drive along is about half that price.

[DTro]

I ordered one up today.

Thanks guys

[Papa Grump]

Don't throw that old one away. I have a couple of mini starters laying around that I might be able to rebuild your old one with...

[DTro]

Strange thing happened today. After running around for a while on the lake, it is now working again.

Two things I found.

1. Battery connection wasn't really tight

2. It didn't have a full charge.

Maybe just a bad battery/weak connection issue?

[Papa Grump]

Could be some of the issues, a tear down of your old one can confirm it.

[DTro]

Can anyone confirm that a weak battery or improper connection might cause the condtion seen in the video?

I'm going to hold off on a new starter for now.

[GoodToGo]

I just went through this with a snowmobile. The bendix would spin, but it wouldn't throw out and engage the ring gear. I thought the battery was charged, but turned out my charger was bad. When I charged the battery fully with a new charger the gear enagaged and it started right up.

[Macgyver55]

As I said in the earlier post, the gear has a one-way sprag in it. Its possible that it had some rust or corrosion in it keeping it from locking up. Possibly using it worked loose whatever was in there and its ok now. Normally low voltage will show up with slower cranking.

[DTro]

Thanks for the help guys.

My fingers are crossed.