787 starter new or rebuild

[Luvme4thamoney03]

So I've Been buildn my hx over winter and have gone through 2 starters already, my flywheel is ok, the first came with my motor the second I got from eBay, chipped teeth on both of them, should I buy rebuild kit with stronger teeth or buy a new starter I would hate to spend $125 on a new starter and it last a month is there a fix to this

 

[racerxxx]

Are these aftermarket starters?

If so I have noticed that the end cap is not cast correctly and the rear mount will not sit correctly. So if you leave the front end loose to get the rear mount in then tighten it all up the starter might not be engaging squarely. I'd also venture to say this is probably why most aftermarket starters snap the shaft due to the misalignment. On the back cap there are 4 strengthening gussets that are cast into the cap, they are too steep and won't allow the rear mounting bracket to sit on the studs and lay flush on the hex part of the studs. But I'm sure most guys just crank it till it's tight and slap it in. If you dress them with a dremel you can get it to sit properly and clot right up by tightening the front first then putting the rear screw in last, like it should work.

 

[Luvme4thamoney03]

No there both oem starters, the first was the original starter from 97 gsx and the second one was used but off like a 2000 rfi model that looked brand new,

 

[LouDoo]

Personally I have had zero luck with E-Bay Chinese starters. If you still have the original Denso starter just rebuild it. Parts are cheap and it's easy to do.

Lou

 

[kicker]

I believe in 97 they went from a 9 tooth starter to an 8 tooth starter, not sure if that would warrant snapping it off, but maybe a combination of misalignment and the teeth trying to mesh together is the problem.

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

Are these aftermarket starters?

If so I have noticed that the end cap is not cast correctly and the rear mount will not sit correctly. So if you leave the front end loose to get the rear mount in then tighten it all up the starter might not be engaging squarely. I'd also venture to say this is probably why most aftermarket starters snap the shaft due to the misalignment. On the back cap there are 4 strengthening gussets that are cast into the cap, they are too steep and won't allow the rear mounting bracket to sit on the studs and lay flush on the hex part of the studs. But I'm sure most guys just crank it till it's tight and slap it in. If you dress them with a dremel you can get it to sit properly and clot right up by tightening the front first then putting the rear screw in last, like it should work.

Racer...you told me in my 97 XP thread about the alignment, but i could never get that back screw in so I had to back off the front two to put the rear one it. Im thinking that my starter is misaligned because every once in a while after turning the ski over sometimes its like it locks up and i have to wiggle the driveshaft to get it unlocked. I think my starter is getting hung up in in the flywheel, actually almost positive that is whats happening. What is the cure to that. Would i be better without the rear mount in there?

 

[racerxxx]

Racer...you told me in my 97 XP thread about the alignment, but i could never get that back screw in so I had to back off the front two to put the rear one it. Im thinking that my starter is misaligned because every once in a while after turning the ski over sometimes its like it locks up and i have to wiggle the driveshaft to get it unlocked. I think my starter is getting hung up in in the flywheel, actually almost positive that is whats happening. What is the cure to that. Would i be better without the rear mount in there?

IIRC, you have a Denso starter. More than likely you might need to clock the starter a bit. The back end (brush end) is fixed as in you can't rotate that end. You'll need to loosen the two long studs going thru the starter and twist the starter to get the bracket to line up. It's really hairy doing it that way. I always mark the housing with a transfer punch before I split one open(I do this on electric motors at work), unfortunately you couldn't since you replaced the nose. So you could be off just a bit. But I would pull the starter to make sure the bracket is on the hex standoffs off the starter and not on the gussets. You should never really leave the starter loose to get all three screws in and then tighten it up. Parts are made to be put together correctly. I always cringed while watching American Chopper and watched those guys use hammers to beat shafts into bores and parts on assemblies---that is WRONG in my eyes. You take your time and make each part fit perfectly so it comes apart perfectly for the next guy, ALWAYS THINK OF THE NEXT GUY, cause it could be you. Working in a machine shop we make everything fit just right.

 

[Luvme4thamoney03]

The first was the original and the second was still demos just a used one , I was just wondering if they were having problems with them or not, when I first put the starter on it worked perfectly, we'll during test and tuning my ski I would say about a week of starting and stopping it started grinding and has just got worse on every crank, , are they just not strong enough for that , hate to buy another starter just for the bendix gear alone, and no I don't buy those " Chinese replicas" I've seen them in action and don't matter what kind of part it is, it's only good for an anchor or door chalk waste of money

 

[Minnetonka4me]

The big issue is gear mesh. The best thing to do is rebuild the original b/c the gears wear together. When you do a swap they will usually grind a little...and if you go from a 8 to a 9 tooth or a 9 to a 8 on a 787 it will really grind.

SBT wouldnt face the fact that just offering the 8 and being soft cheap chinese metal they broke before they would start to mesh.