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Light duty starter
Randy Bickley
St. Augustine, Florida
We had our F35’s E225-8 E-80 starter rebuilt six weeks
Q. ago due to dragging. We had to pull it off due to
leaking oil between the accessory collar and starter.
Some type of internal gasket was installed, and starter
was reinstalled. It continued to leak and now will not
engage when hot. The starter just spins up but does
not engage.
We pulled it off again and sent it back to shop. I am
told now that it is a light duty starter and not an original
heavy duty (HD) starter, and it does not have a rubber
seal to keep excess oil out due to a faulty check valve that
allows excess oil to fill the accessory case from the oil
tank cooler.
We should be able to fix the check valve, but I do not
want to waste the $1500 I spent because the shop did not
tell me this when they rebuilt the original starter. They
now want to sell me an HD starter for another $1200. What
are my best options
Your message said E-80 starter. If it is an E-80, that is
A. the HD starter. The earlier starter is the 36E14, which,
although not as powerful as the E-80, is plenty powerful
enough to start the E engine.
Either starter must have the starter jaw extension mechanism
working correctly or it will not turn the engine. The
E-80 relies on the friction of a coil spring around the starter
jaw while the 36E14 uses acceleration of the armature to
extend the jaw, very much as a Bendix drive on an automotive
starter does. If either of these mech anisms are not assembled
correctly or are “gunked up,” they will not function.
In other words, the starter jaw (a starter part) does not
extend and lock onto the starter jaw gear (an engine part).
Both starters have a seal to prevent oil from entering the
starter. There is no way that oil tank drain-down could bring
the oil level in the engine to reach the starter level. The
check valve is not the source of oil tank drain down, or at
least it is very unlikely that it is. The main source of draindown
is through the four oil pump bearings located between
the oil tank and the check valve. There is no way to stop
this drain-down except to remove the accessory case and
re-bush the oil pump. Furthermore, this drain down does
not cause any problem except possible static leaks through
the generator or push rod tubes, etc.
One thing that will make the starter leak is excessive
crankcase pressure. The limit pressure in the E engine is
1- 1 /2 inches water column. Case pressure measured with
an airspeed indicator should be less than 55 mph
I would say that the starter jaw extension mechanism is
gunked up or not assembled correctly. —LG
Volume 12 • Number 1 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY 63