mconforti1956

I have a1952 olds 98 sedan and amin need of a good starter any help would be great.

mpolds

Gonna be tough to find a new unit -- and most rebuilders are not going to have a core --they are going to list it as "R & R" -- rebuild and return......


We have an excellent starter, generator, and alternator rebuilder by me here in Long Island, New York if you need....


You are welcome to call me -- Craig -- 516 - 485 - 1935....
I also have some AWESOME N.O.S. parts for a 1952 Olds!!!!!!!!!!

mconforti1956

thanks for the reply. I have had it apart many times. looks ok.
local rebuilder did it twice. new high amp 6 volt battery, new battery cables and ends.
new secondary wires. just dragggs. worn out .

stellar

Do you have a starter number or a picture of the starter?

mconforti1956

thank you for the reply. It seems the 49 to 52 used the same starter. there are a hand
full on Ebay. some used some "rebuilt". I do not want to repeat what I have all ready.
I think I need to find a good rebuilder with knowledge and parts.
the starter # is 1107997.

stellar

Send it to me. I can do it. I was hoping to see if I had one in stock, but I don't.

stellar

My books show 1952 to be different than 51 or earlier, but they may be interchangeable. I am not certain of that. If you still have the original, it would be the one to have rebuilt.

mconforti1956

My research shows some 49 to 53 some 49 to 51. the case looks the same.
the 52 had a higher compression ratio. maybe had a higher torque rating ?
the law of restoration. you can never get done what you what done when you want it done. give me an idea of $. the starter came with the car, looks to have been
rebuilt before I did it twice.
thanks mike

stellar

Before you do another rebuild be sure to check the basics. Good battery-heavy gauge 6 volt battery cables (12 volt cables won't carry the needed current) - good grounds (often the problem and overlooked especially due to paint) timing not advanced. If these all check good, proceed with the rebuild. After 2 rebuilds with the same problem raises concern as to possible other problems or possibly not a quality rebuild. I will PM with idea of cost.

mconforti1956

Yes I,am there and back. new high amp 6 volt battery, new double 00 cables with
new ends. new secondary wires with proper ends. new plugs, points, condenser,
spark at plugs is OK could be better. looking at coil and resister.
thank you for your input.

stellar

I see one on ebay for about $200.00, but it doesn't have a solenoid. From what you posted it sounds like your solenoid works. The seller has good feedback. Just another option for you.

mconforti1956

yes thanks I saw that among others. I took an other hard look and, many bare
wires. I am going too address those. could be part of the problem of starter dragging.
maybe not, but they need to be repaired. and after that I will see if improves.
if not I will return to the starter.

thanks for your input.

bonger

Do your new primary wires include replacing the 65 year old wires to and from the ignition switch? As you probably know those old wires will measure 6+ volts but may not support much of a load. If you for some odd reason have a 1953 starter it would have 12 volts printed and stamped right on it.

mconforti1956

exactly, that is what that hard look did. wires to neutral switch, wires from there to
ing. switch. wires too coil, too voltage reg. etc. need too upgrade and repair, replace.
then see were i stand with the starter. it is a 6 volt.

thanks for your input
mike

bonger

This interests me. I have had a handful of these 50, 51, and 52s. The six volt starters draw a lot of amps good or bad and would show quite a high draw if the input amperage was low. How does the starter sound mounted in a vice in a bench test? You could also jump from positive battery terminal to the solenoid to bypass the neutral safety switch on the car.

mconforti1956

the starter spins well on the bench. I used two new 6 volts in parallel for the extra amps. drags when installed. by passed the neutral switch. the secondary wires are in
need of repair. after that I will see were I stand with the starter.

thanks for your input

coldwar

Been fighting 6V Oldsmobile hard starting for years. It's a problem even the factory never really got a handle on. Flooding your Oldsmobile V-8 in hot weather usually meant a jump was in your near future. The cars I drive are now 12V with no cranking problems ever, that aside:

Use the largest positive cable you can find, I mean 4/0 with a swaged on terminal if possible. Check local sources who deal in truck repair.

Use a woven braided ground strap usually plated solid copper, where I live any source of supply dealing with farm equipment has them. Swaged on terminal, they have a long one and short one, attach to 5/8" head bolt hole in drivers front side of block.

Make sure starter attachment surface is clean and dry, both on lower end housing and starter. Assuming lower end housing attachment to block is also clean. If you have any doubts or want to rule this cause out, use a jumper cable and ground the starter to the battery as a test directly.

Use only brushes which are hard meaning you cannot dig a thumbnail in to them, and have a pinkish cast to the dark material. Make sure the armature has no dead sections, you can test this with a volt-ohm meter.

Replacement solenoids tend to have a aluminum contact disc which for this use is bad news, use something you know has solid copper, Delco Remy, older Standard or Echlin from Napa, perhaps others. Aluminum based rebuilds belong only in the wastebasket.

If the the starter still groans when cranking cold, feel around on the cables and starter parts after perhaps 15-20 seconds of cranking, what is very warm or hot to the touch with be a contributor to your troubles.

Once in a while there might be trouble or damage from overheated field windings, but that's pretty rare.

If there is any observed wear whatsoever on the pinion teeth, replace the overrunning clutch with a new or better one, preferably five roller type. If the flywheel teeth are very worn, this can contribute to slow high current draw cranking, especially when hot. This is a old GM bad design across the lines remaining a problem with high-mileage GM cars for decades forward and backwards from 1952. Apologies to Charles Kettering.

Keep the lead timing at factory specs until you find the trouble, Oldsmobile V-8's want and run better with more lead but the hot starting if too far advanced is murder on parts even if it does crank quickly.

One I almost forgot - The nose cone and overrunning clutch bushings cannot have any side play, I mean none you can observe. Especially with older parts, play in the bushing(s) allows the meshed gear contact pattern to become yet worse, increasing friction and depleting needed cranking power.

A last word about the engine: If you drive a 6V Olds a lot you learn quickly the importance of keeping the engine in top tune. If you have to crank a lot at every start, it is very rough on all the starting, charging components as well as the battery. All good reasons to go over to 12V if you can.


Good Luck~

mconforti1956

Good info. I made new battery cables with welding cable, new heavy duty ends.
two new 6 volt battery,s . coil and resister. starter looks good, spins free on bench.
the secondary wires are in bad shape. I will repair and replace those. the car has a real
51,596. miles. sat since 2005. the fuel pump not working, was a airtex rebuilt. took it
apart looks ok. I will look for kit. that ground strap is good info.

thanks for the info.

coldwar

'Sat since 2005' - If there is any chance the engine is tight, which is common ask me how I know, crank with the plugs out until RPM comes up and oil pressure builds, then RPM further increasing. Much easier on starter and systems with plugs out. Maybe a few squirts of motor oil in each cylinder.

mconforti1956

first thing plugs pulled, then MMO. let the oil pan drain for 4 hours. new filter.
new oil. turned engine by hand plugs still out. more MMO let it set for two days.
new parts plugs.points, condenser, coil, resister, then went on too start and run.
still working on the cranking problem. got some good tips from you olds guys.

thanks for the input