Just pulled out my starter. Pics below. anyone have any ideas of where the end went? I took off the inspection cover and looked at the flywheel, there's minor damage to the end of some flywheel teeth but no pieces laying around that I could find. I'm thinking that maybe the pieces just fell off the car while I was driving. The last time I drove it I had to push start it to get home and there was no noises at all while driving.

http://members.shaw.ca/nrfarley/pics/FUBAR%20Starter/

 

Good job lol.

I wonder what made it break like that.

 

Laying in the road somewhere.Did you happen to try to start it while it was running?

 

Nope never double started the car since I've had it. With a cut-out it's pretty hard to not notice it running.

The car was fine on saturday, I had to go pickup alcohol and mix before my b-day so I started the car about 4 times in an hour then parked it. The next day after my god awful hangover I went out to start it (-33C overnight) and it was loud (gridning, I assumed the starter was seizing or extremely frozen and possibly on it's way out) but started and worked for about 5 more starts, the next day I had to get a push start to get it home.

I saw pictures of another member's starter broken in the same way but not as bad as this. I think it's a combination of age and extreme cold that did it in. I'm pretty sure the end just broke off and fell into the street but it doesn't seem like there's anywhere for it to go.

 

Sometimes, they just break.

You have to remember how much torque is being applied there. Plus, if the bolts get loose at all, the thing will slam around until it destructs. The housing probably cracked and you were still able to get a few more starts out of it. Then it finally came apart.

 

I think yours is broken =P

 

Just got the new starter, I uploaded 3 pics of the new one if anyone is interested.

 

Mine did the same thing.....I found the pieces to mine behind the dust cover. I had to wrap it up in paper towels when I took it in to get my core charge back.....the guy never looked in the box....that was a $60 core.

 

I worked for a starter rebuild shop my first year of college and I saw several of the delco starters with busted ends like that. Sometimes they just shell out because of the high torque, if water leaked down and froze in the starter that can cause it also. either way that thing is one of the worst I have seen.
Way to go,
Ohya take of the dust cover and make sure that the parts of the nose housing are not in there, if they are you could be replacing at least another starter some probably a flywheel also!

 

i've never seen one that bad DAMN!

 

Mine broke like that about a year ago. Not that bad though

 

I think shoebox is right.

If the mounting bolts get loose over time it might slam around when its starting and shatter the nose. Especially in the cold.

I was just testing mine last summer and I touched the solenoid with some cables. It activated and rolled 2 feet. Lots of torque in these things.

 

How much torque is there by the way? Just wondering

 

Why don't you grab the gear with your hand, hook up the power, and report back.

 

yeah and take pics of your hand to if theres anything left. id like to see how much torqe it does have.