Quothe Tony Duell, from writings of Thu, Jun 13, 2002 at 01:55:45AM +0100:
[quoting ?]
> > The only time I've seen this is on the Ford type starter where
> > the pull in for the gear comes from a pole piece in the started
>
> Pre-Engaged starter motors (that's to say, ones where the solenoid moves
> the pinion into mesh before turning on the motor, as opposed to some
> device that moves the pinion into mesh when the motor turns, like the old
> 'Bendix' drive or the ones where the armature moves along the body of the
['old' Bendix drive? :-)]
As far as I know, Ford starters use a separate starter solenoid,
mounted above the inner fender, above the passenger-side front tire,
about a foot or so away from the battery. The starters themselves use
a Bendix spring to engage the starter. A common failure, causing many
mechanics to sell people new batteries, new starters, new voltage
regulators, new solenoids, etc. is when the screws holding the
solenoid to the frame become a little too loose, or if there's some
oxidation/rust there causing a bad connection to the frame. Also, it
helps to use a piece of high temperature hose, or asbestos tubing,
around the cable leading from the solenoid to the starter; this
prevents the passenger-side exhause manifold, or headers, from melting
the insulation on the cable... when that happens, some mechanics try
to sell people new batteries, starters, etc. rather than just
replacing, or better insulating, the cable.
Disclaimer: as to those newfangled Fords made after the 1970s, I've no
idea what sort of peculiar things go on under their hoods (bonnets),
and I don't really want to know, but I hear that some don't even use
spark plugs, distributors or carburators. All of the new (post 1970s)
motorcars are too strange for my tastes; weird machines, extremely
weird and overly complex, and cheaply built, machines with expensive
price tags.
Have engineers forgotten how to design things that work properly while
not being overly complex? It appears that needlessly complex gadgetry
has replaced functionality.
--
Copyright (C) 2001 R. D. Davis The difference between humans & other animals:
All Rights Reserved an unnatural belief that we're above Nature &
rdd_at_rddavis.org 410-744-4900 her other creatures, using dogma to justify such
http://www.rddavis.org beliefs and to justify much human cruelty.
Received on Wed Jun 12 2002 - 22:24:55 BST