starter, 81

[bigbob81]

Hey Guys!
I need a little advice. I am experiencing a "lag" in my starter. I press the go
button & nothing for a few seconds, then it spins and starts the engine. This
"lag" has been up to 10seconds or more.
I took the starter out, disassembled it and inspected. There was no
corrosion at the shaft end or the brush end. Some minor brush dust,
but not enough to be concerned about. The brushes looked long enough,
(.30" per the manual minimum). I applied a small amount of grease to the
end bearing and the same on the shaft. Re-installed and it worked fine for a few
days, but then the lag came back. It doesn't spin slowly, like it was dragging, but
when it starts to spin, it spins the motor and will start.
What should I be checking? Any help or advice will, as always, will be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks,
bigbob81

[tevan]

Is your solenoid kicking in as soon as you hit the button? Solenoid are cheap 10-15 bucks on flea bay... Check connections for loose or dirty ones.. Even the ignition switch connections.

[bigbob81]

Took your advice and changed the solenoid (yay-flea bay!) It worked well for the first couple of
days, then the hesitation again. When I had the starter off, it was heavy to turn by hand, but
seemed to turn freely, although "heavy" feeling.
Are these starters rebuildable? Could a reputable starter and electric motor shop be able
to rewind the armature? My battery is good with alot of cold cranking amps (350).
I opened the ignition switch housing and the connection at the button was clean, really
clean, so I went no further. Should I have dissected it, pulling the screw out and the button
following (hopefully)? Could there be corrosion inside that?

[NobleHops]

Took your advice and changed the solenoid (yay-flea bay!) It worked well for the first couple of
days, then the hesitation again. When I had the starter off, it was heavy to turn by hand, but
seemed to turn freely, although "heavy" feeling.
Are these starters rebuildable? Could a reputable starter and electric motor shop be able
to rewind the armature? My battery is good with alot of cold cranking amps (350).
I opened the ignition switch housing and the connection at the button was clean, really
clean, so I went no further. Should I have dissected it, pulling the screw out and the button
following (hopefully)? Could there be corrosion inside that?

I did a starter rebuild thread somewhere - think I posted it here. It was from a CB400F but the CBX will be very similar and the kit was less than $20. Do a search on starter rebuild.

It's a fast easy job to remove it and pop it open. Clean out the carbon debris on the business end and check out the brushes, see if they are too short and the springs too weak to make good contact. Clean the armature, check the bearings for gravelly feel and replace if you find any. Clean it all up, grease the bearings and the shaft end where it rides in the bushing. put it back together - you can probably reuse the rubber gaskets, but if you buy the kit it will include them. Easy job.

Those wires that connect the starter to the solenoid can get cranky (hehe) too. Renew the connection amidships on the starter and while it's off, flex that wire. If you hear crunchy noises, replace it.

You'll do all this with the battery disconnected, naturally, right?

Terry's advice about cleaning and renewing all the connections is ALWAYS the right advice.

N.

[bigbob81]

Thanks so much guys!! I'll get a rebuild kit a give 'er a go.
I'll be back in touch in a couple of weeks. (old, slow...)
Thanks again, I really appreciate the response & support!!
bigbob81

[bigbob81]

Got the starter rebuild kit Saturday. Pulled out the starter, and got
through the rebuild. Put it all back together and the bearing in the
end cap was a bit too small. On a quest for the proper bearing.
Hopefully I can find it at the local bearing house...

[NobleHops]

Got the starter rebuild kit Saturday. Pulled out the starter, and got
through the rebuild. Put it all back together and the bearing in the
end cap was a bit too small. On a quest for the proper bearing.
Hopefully I can find it at the local bearing house...

Was the old bearing bad or were you just changing it for good measure? It sees such momentary use you might be fine to just clean it, regrease it and reinstall it. What else did you observe while it was apart?