[Victor Meldrew mode on]

I've been working on my engine, trying to raise some oil pressure, and yesterday I put it back in the car to see if I've fixed it.

Guess what - the starter's inertia gear seized! Aaargh! It's a conspiracy, I tell you...

Now I've got to make a spring compressor, so I can strip the starter's inertia gear, sort out what I find, rebuild it, THEN see if I can raise any oil pressure...

A black cat must have crossed my path, or I gave some witch an earful of abuse, or something...

Everything else on the car is ready for the SVA - b*ggerit.

I was so pee'd off this afternoon that I went out and heaved old plants out of the fishpond - that's how desperate I was!

rgds,

David

Is that a dead Robin I can see on your offside nosecone?

Good luck with it!

David do you mean a starter bendix spring compressor?? I may have one you can borrow if I can find it ,but i'm in Cambridge . You may not need to remove bendix if it is just sticking, try WD 40 and working bendix manually, worth a try. Rusty

Rusty,

It's been sort of sticking for a while, but now it's seized completely.

I'll try the WD40, otherwise I'll have to make a compressor on the lathe (not difficult, just 2 big 'washer-shapes' and some screws). It's just another time-waster.



David

[Edited on 19/9/04 by David Jenkins]

Try dipping it in petrol, bendix should never be lubricated or they get caked up in clutch dust and stick even more. Petrol cleans stuff out and then evaporates.

[Edited on 19/9/04 by Peteff]

petrol will not lubricate bendix , use WD 40 to free it off , then dry it off . Seem to remember graphite from pencil lead is a good lubricant for a bendix. Rusty

Tried brake cleaner spray - similar effect to petrol, and evaporates rapidly. Also tried lock graphite.

Neither worked.

I think it's something catching inside the moving bit, where the return spring lives.

DJ