Delco starter overhaul.


Just keep it clean please....

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 431

Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 4:16 pm

Location: Custer, Washington

Post Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:02 am

Re: Delco starter overhaul.

I received my growler I bought so I was able to fully test the armature out of the truck and it tested fine as I suspected. I have new 2/0 cables coming for the truck. Should be here Thursday . Hopefully have it spinning over well with the new cables with the positive ground going to the lower starter bolt. Many seem to swear by that.

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 5160

Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:28 pm

Location: Lyman, IA

Post Tue Jan 10, 2023 1:40 pm

Re: Delco starter overhaul.

Good deal, I am finishing up my 3rd starter, only have the odd gear reduction left to play with, but as I don't really have a use for it, I may not finish it.
The battery on my '48 may need replacement, and I will make the battery box bigger to accommodate the next size up (this was already done on my '42) I don't remember off hand the BCA group number, might be 4 which is a big step up in CCA from the 2 that it has now.
Key to good starter life is getting them up to speed quickly and not letting them grind over, just barely turning.
On the bigger K's and I assume the D's there is plenty of room under the door for a bigger battery, if the box is made longer.
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Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Post Wed Jan 11, 2023 7:59 am

Re: Delco starter overhaul.

I enlarged mine and put an 8 v in , works great .My question is this , I'm thinking of the possibility of putting an electric winch in the back of my truck to be able to pull things up in the back . I saw one on my friends trailer that had a winch with a 12v deepcycle battery with it , what has always stood in the way of putting a winch on my truck was the 6v of my truck . Can my charging system maintain a 12v deep cycle as well as my 8v ?

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 431

Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 4:16 pm

Location: Custer, Washington

Post Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:37 am

Re: Delco starter overhaul.

Your current charging system can only put out the voltage it is setup for. If you have a 12v winch you will need to convert the truck to a 12 volt system. Not a huge issue but anything that remains at 6v will need a step down to have it continue to work. I have heard of guys using 8v batteries which will make the starter spin over better but I have never understood how the 8v will charge correctly as it does not put out the necessary voltage.

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:28 pm

Location: Lyman, IA

Post Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:40 pm

Re: Delco starter overhaul.

Long and short is a 8 volt battery is the worse compromise of all your choices. It will not charge correctly without changing the regulator setting, and if you bump the charge voltage up that much, might as well go 12 volt and be done with it.
I used to be against 12 volt "conversions" because there was no good way to protect the 6 volt stuff. Since that time, there are 12 to six (7.2 VOLT) Solid state power supplies with enough current to supply the 6 volt loads.
There are buck-boost power supplies that can charge a 12 volt battery off 6 volt but not at the current needed for that application.
You could add another charging system just to handle the deep cycle, which would allow the best charging profile for a deep cycle service.
Depends on how much you would use the winch, but I love my mechanical winch and it will pull at idle more than the chassie can hold.
I have a 100 amp Leece Naville 6 volt alternator, where the 3 phase output could be run through a set of step-up transformers to provide both 6 and 12 volt charging, but the cost would be quite high to build such a system.
A pair of 6 volts with a series/parallel switch could be used, but that risks depleting the trucks running battery while winching.
Cheapest way out is converting to 12 volt, and isolating the 6 volt loads, powering through the above mentioned power converter.
Next cheapest is to hang a 12 volt alternator on the engine to charge the deep cycle only.
After using a mechanical winch, I find electrics lacking the most and hyd, while easier to power still not up to a mechanical drive.

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 431

Joined: Thu Jul 25, 2013 4:16 pm

Location: Custer, Washington

Post Mon Jan 30, 2023 7:02 pm

Re: Delco starter overhaul.

Well my starter checked out fine as expected. I knew I needed a growler and learned a lot there. Cleaned the starter up a little better and put it back in with the large cables and the positive ground to the lower starter bolt. What a huge difference. I mean really! I am not so sure I needed those huge cables, I honestly think the direct ground to engine/started was the main thing. The bigger cables I am sure does help. It is just kind of a pain with the tight quarters around the starter, Foot pedals, Starter push switch, etc. Either way I highly recommend this approach. Bought two of the 26" cables online for $30 with the correct sized terminals and eyelets. Bought them from BatteryCablesUSA. Good Price, fast Shipping and made in USA. Highly recommend them.

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

Posts: 5160

Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:28 pm

Location: Lyman, IA

Post Thu Feb 29, 2024 8:09 pm

Re: Delco starter overhaul.

I finely got around to the old gear reduction unit, The commutator is about shot, it has been turned too many times and now undercutting the insulation between bars is really to fr gone. I gave it a shot anyway, and replaced a broken brush spring and cross over wire. Motor runs up fine no load, but will not crank the "spare" 269 under load. Might be the jumper cables aren't making good contact (yes they are heavy welding cable) but I suspect a field coil is to blame.
It really needs a new commutator on the armature, and I am not sure how easy it would be to find a field coil, I know armatures for early G/R Delco's are like hens teeth. Since the motor portion of the gear reduction unit turns opposite direction of a normal direct drive starter, I expect field coils are going to be hard to find as well.
The G/R unit isn't "supposed" to be on a BLD, it is a RED or FBC starter and is "upside down" on the BLD, oil cups are in the wrong orientation.
Likely I will not take this starter further, as no real need for it, I have three direct drive starters for three BLD engines, so that is all I need.
BTW I was researching some starters, and you can buy brand new starters with the correct SAE mount and toothed pinion in 12 or 24 volt to fit the BLD! Who knew?
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