Anyone rebuilt a starter?
 

Ok, so we have a 1989 S-10 Blazer, 2WD with the craptacular 2.8L in it. Anyway, the starter is pretty much dead, and it looks to be teh drive gear. I haven't pulled it and looked at it, but im almost pretty much 100% sure that the overrunning clutch on it is toast. So rather than 100 bucks or so for a new starter, i wanna toss in the $10 to get a new clutch and gear, and reuse whats good in the old starter.

Now to my question. Unbelievably, i dont have a chiltons for this thing yet. Even then, im not sure that it would tell me how to rebuild a starter. Anywho, do you know if there are any other parts needed? I dont think there are, but before a order just the drive end, im curious if there are any bushings, bearings, washers, or any other minor parts i will need to replace this part? Id hate to pull it, dissasemble it, and find out that i need a bearing.

If any of you know, id appreciate it. And not just for this particular car, but for any car in general if you happen to know.

At most local parts stores you can buy a rebuild kit for around $20 and they will give you all the instruction on how to do it yourself. It's actually pretty easy. I usually take my starters to a farmer down the road who rebuilds them.....he has all the bench testing stuff and then machining tools so he can salvage almost any starter.

have you looked into a remaufactured starter? I think after i got the core refund, the starter for my smallblock was like 30 bucks or something. Sure saved me that agony of rebuilding my worn one.

well, im not too big a fan of reman'd stuff these days. i know OEM lasts a long, long while, but i have no idea what the old starter im getting has been through. Also i have had a lot of bad luck with reman'd stuff crapping out right after warranty, or in a very short time. For me, its worth the extra few bucks to get a new oem one rather than gamble with a reman usually.

Most starters are dead easy to repair. Older starters like yours can be done without any sort of manual as long as you understand how an electric motor functions. they're dead simple. Not suggesting that you forego instructions, just saying don't be intimidated by it.

Last time I did a starter replacement was because the pawl was shot, and that meant a lot more parts replacement than was cost effective.

You can do it, Peryn!

i have no doubt i can do it. Thats not the problem. My worry is that, sense i will be taking it apart at class (night class), i will pull it out and find out there is some damn bushing, bearing, or washer that the school doesn't have, and the store will be closed.

Anyway, picked up the drive gear today for $10 from Napa. Looks like it should be a pretty straightforward to replace. Plus, if for some reason it does get really hairy i can ask the electrical instructor for help. We also have all the starter testing equipment, so just for kicks i might toss it on some of those.

I'm a little late getting to this thread, but I'd suggest spending an extra $5.00 and replacing the brushes. If that's the OE starter that you're working on, they're probably pretty worn. Take some extra fine emery or crocus cloth to the armature.

Have fun!

if you can get new bearings (there are usually 3: one at either end and one in the (roughly) middle) for it, you should replace them while it is apart. it is not all that hard, but it is not a job you really wanna have to do twice. also, while you are at it, rebuild (or replace) the solenoid.