Starter wont spin.

I followed Stretch's guide seen here on how to dissasemble and grease a Briggs starter. Well when I put my starter back together it wont spin. The brushes are kind of worn, but it actually worked before it just cranked slow. I didn't need to clean the communicator, but I sanded the area circled in green. Any ideas?? (This isn't my starter, just an internet picture)  These things are really simple, so what went wrong?

anybody?

Green area dosen't need sanded, I'd clean the commutator up with some fine sandpaper, where the brushes ride.

If the armature (piece that is pictured) is decent, no burnt wires, and brushes are good, it should spin. Check it off the tractor with a battery charger, or battery. Show us how you are testing it.

I'll try to make a video today, I am kind of busy with Mother's day.

Here you go Stretch.

well for one, i didnt see a ground on the starter. its just like a battery. it has to have a positive lead, and a negative to complete the circuit. GENERALLY, the engine block, which the starter would be bolted to, serves as the ground, but since its isolated and by its-self, you need to clamp on a ground lead

Alright hopefully this works, I'll try tomorrow. It would save me a 1 hour trip to the salvage yard and hope they have the right starter.

try getting the cleanest metal you can for the ground. i usually try to get it closest to where the mounting bolts go

So I should ground to the starter itself right?

yessir. most of them have an "ear" where the starter bolts up to the block. thats where i put my ground

TokyoDrift99 wrote:

Here you go Stretch.

Dood!

Take those jumper cables off the tractor.

Now clamp the negative lead from the jumper cables onto the metal part of the starter that the bolt goes through, when you bolt it to the engine.

Now you should be able to just touch the end of the red cable that is attached to the starter, with the positive lead on the jumper cables.

The starter should spin.

Looks like these guys have it figured out.

Lol I feel so dumb, I thought it needed a ground but didn't know how to ground it so I just put it on the negative battery cable. Thanks for your help guys!

i take it that its working now?

TokyoDrift99 wrote:

Lol I feel so dumb, I thought it needed a ground but didn't know how to ground it so I just put it on the negative battery cable. Thanks for your help guys!

We all have to learn what we know. And we all start from scratch at some point. Don't let it make you feel dumb. You are learning. That's what counts.

Angchor wrote:

TokyoDrift99 wrote:

Lol I feel so dumb, I thought it needed a ground but didn't know how to ground it so I just put it on the negative battery cable. Thanks for your help guys!

We all have to learn what we know. And we all start from scratch at some point. Don't let it make you feel dumb. You are learning. That's what counts.

x2 to that!

I am just about ready to roll my piece of ***** tractor over a cliff. I got the starter back in after 45mins of trying to get a bolt in. Once I did it still cranked slow and there was electrical smoke coming out of the exhaust. It finally started after cranking it for like 30 seconds and it start to speed up. Now it cranks even slower.... Does anybody know if I can adapt a recoil to fit on this thing? I'd really rather just pull start it.

electrical smoke out the EXHAUST?! no no.. you sure your battery is fully charged? thats what my briggs ELS is doing. i think the starter is pooch. before you go buying a starter, go over ALL the connections. EVERY LAST ONE and make sure its CLEAN. i usually put some dielectric grease on them too. keep the rusties off

Yeah i thought it was strange to, but it was coming out from where the exhaust meets the engine, and the cooling fins around there. It wasn't coming from the starter. I'm thinking of maybe dropping the coin on some soldering gear and just soldering / heat shrinking every connection... The battery aint dead, it was jumped off the same car in the video, while the car was running.

you are still using the jumper cables? that could be the problem. I have had that happen to my tecumsea on my uncles mower. it cranked sllloooow with me jumping it from my f-250 will the truck was running. i figured the starter was toast, but a new one did the same thing. hooked up a new mower battery and it cranked nice and fast.

How well does it spin when not bolted to the motor?

It spins great when not connected to the motor. But I think I blew up the starter because I tried again today and it was smoking like a mofo.