Having owned my Catalina for just 6 months, when the second starter failed, I decided to get the local starter shop to rebuild it. They found a fine, orange dust throughout the starter and surmised that it may be rust flaking off the flywheel or something else in the bellhousing. In any case, it is clogging the starter and messing up the bearings. Has anyone had this problem and if so, is there a fix short of pulling the whole thing apart and replacing the flywheel?
Rusty dust in the starter
- Thread starter Franzcat
- Start date
That could be a good sign that there is no oil leaks from the engine or transmission but the kicker might be having to find out what may be rusted and what may be causing excessive rust. Look for a water leak above the bell housing, either from the engine or the fiberglass above it. Look for water pooling under the bell housing or a faulty packing gland that could be spraying water. If the flywheel is not damaged, bent or worn it will not need replacement but a good cleaning and rust proofing. I have never tried to get a digital inspection camera down into the bell housing, there might not be adequate clearance or entry point but might be worth checking if it could avoid a disassembly.
there may be a plug in the bottom of the drive coupler/adapter housing (some may call this the bell housing)... if so, you can clean out the debris that may be in there.
there may be troubles inside which may lead to disassembling such as an extremely worn drive shaft or coupler spline, which the dusty rust can be an indicator of.... but not always, as water will cause rust and if its been getting in over the years, the rusty gunk can build up and be wet and sprayed around inside,then dry out on the starter drive after the engine has been run..
there may be troubles inside which may lead to disassembling such as an extremely worn drive shaft or coupler spline, which the dusty rust can be an indicator of.... but not always, as water will cause rust and if its been getting in over the years, the rusty gunk can build up and be wet and sprayed around inside,then dry out on the starter drive after the engine has been run..
It would be very strange and improbable to have some debris from the flywheel be able to get into the starter itself.. The housing that contains the armature is sealed from debris getting in.. The brushes do make a dust inside that housing, but it would be unusual for them to generate enough dust to be a problem. You could get flywheel debris (maybe from a deteriorating damper plate?) into the drive gear end but again, it would be unusual to get enough to cause a problem.. It would be good to carefully look at all the connections in the starter circuit.. the solenoid operating connections would be first, then the big wire connections and grounds ..
+1 It's 'dust' from the starter. Every starter I've ever pulled has had it, but not enough to cause issues. Look into your starter, not the flywheel
I agree, chances are it is probably dust from the starter. Are the replacement starters new OEM or rebuilt units? Casings for rebuild units may not have been properly cleaned after storing in less than adequate conditions. It is easier to disassemble a starter rather than remove the transmission so it might be worth a shot to dissemble and inspect the failed starter.
Take a dinghy pump and put the hose into the starter area and give a quick pump. See if a rust cloud appears....
Thanks all. After speaking to three mechanics I think there's a good chance that the problem is in the starter. The current plan is to reinstall the unit and pull it for inspection after a few weeks. I an also rebuilding my heat exchanger to assure no water leaks on the flywheel housing.