Starter Malfunction

[Austin]

Every couple weeks, my starter starts giving me trouble. I have to pull it off, take it appart and thoroughly clean it. I think its getting dirty from the years of clutch dust in the bell housing. Not a big deal, just aggravating and time consuming.  Im not planning on pulling the engine untill I absolutely have to. Is there any remedy to clean out the bell housing?

[athawk11]

When it "malfunctions", what does it do...or not do?

I'm less inclined to think your issue is clutch dust, so don't start pulling that bad boy apart just yet.

Tim

[bretto]

Agreed, doubt its the clutch stuff.  You may need to address worn bushings and the brushes in the starter.  Make sure you have good ground!
What does it not do?  Just stall out?

[Austin]

The gear wont kick out and engage the flywheel. It just spins. After I pull the starter apart and whipe it down with mineral spirits,  it works fine. When I pullthe starter off, its really dirty  .

[Austin]

The brushes all look really good.

[p3ferris]

You need a new starter bendix /starter clutch

[athawk11]

Could be the Bendix, but if you are having intermittent issues, this is less likely. 

Could also be a poor ground rearing its ugly head.  A lack of full battery juice will sometimes have this affect.  If your ground points are dirty or rusty, you will not get full battery power to the starter.  A poorly grounded Willys can cause a number of issues, but starter issues are the most noticeable.  Is this a 6 volt or 12 volt Willys?   

The commutator (copper surface that the brushes sit on) could need a fresh undercutting and cleaning.

Tim

   

[aboyandhisdog]

I just put a new bendix in my starter thinking that was the problem.  But it turned out that the ring gear is bad.  Going into the shop next week for a new ring gear.  Now, the problem I was having is that about 25% of the time, the starter wouldn't engage and would make a loud screetch - not just spin.  You may have a different problem, but if you get the chance, see if you can inspect that ring gear while you have someone turn the engine by hand.  Mine has teeth missing in 4 areas.  I think Tim is on the right track here.

[athawk11]

Actually Tom, you make a good point.  One thing I've discovered is that the engine...during cranking... will almost always come to rest in only one or two different positions.  This means the starter is using the same spot on the flywheel to start the engine, over and over again.  If you inspect your ring gear teeth on the flywheel, you can find these spots.  They get worn down much faster than the rest of the ring gear.

So, as happened with Tom, he had some missing teeth.  If the engine stopped at this particular point, the bendix wouldn't turn the engine.

Tim

[Austin]

My flywheel appears to be in good shape. The system is 12v. I had the starter converted to 12v as well.  Everytime I pull the starter it is filthy and I have to pull hard to get the gear to come out.

[athawk11]

When the starter was converted, did they do a full rebuild?  ie; bushings, brushes, turned and undercut commutator, Bendix replacement?  If so, I'm inclined to point you toward a faulty ground point.

The negative battery cable should be attached to the front of the battery tray.  This connection point should be clean bare metal.  Additionally, you should have at least one ground strap from the frame to the engine.  This is usually from the timing cover to the frame at an engine mount.  All connection points should be spotless.  Then, the mounting surface of the starter to the engine has to have a clean metal to clean metal point also.

I don't know if this is your problem, but this is an easy step, and is worth the effort.

The clutch dust theory just seems improbable.  It would take a lot of debree to stop the Bendix gear from engaging the flywheel.  Is the cleaning done to the gear area of the Bendix or the motor windings inside the starter housing?

Tim

[Matto]

Mice?
      Not sure if your Jeep sat idle for any length of time.  I've taken apart a few donor Jeeps in the past and the bell housing seems to be a magnet for the little critters. It's amazing how much stuff they can drag in there, even over the course of a few months.