C-5 Starter Issue

[johnly]

I picked up a nice looking C-5 for a song, but I can't get the starter pawls to properly engage the flywheel.

The starter pawls and inner surface of the flywheel have been cleaned and de-greased. Rarely will the starter engage with a brisk pull and when it occurs the engine turns over the engine once or twice, right at the very end of the pull.

Any suggestions to address this issue?

[oldwoodsplitter]

May need new pawl springs or bend the existing ones to apply more force to the pawls

[edju1958]

You mentioned that you pull the rope briskly.The proper way to engage the F-M starter is to pull the rope till you feel the pawls engage on the cup,then pull briskly.Are there sufficient grooves in the starter cup for the pawls to catch on?

[blythkd]

You might also check to make sure all the washers are present and installed correctly. I've seen the fiber washers worn out and/or missing and also seen some of those components installed incorrectly around the starter pawls. 

[johnly]

Feb 16, 2024 10:03:01 GMT -5 edju1958 said:

You mentioned that you pull the rope briskly.The proper way to engage the F-M starter is to pull the rope till you feel the pawls engage on the cup,then pull briskly.Are there sufficient grooves in the starter cup for the pawls to catch on?

There are no grooves in the starter cup.

I checked a picture on Leon's website to confirm this.

[onlyhomelites]

Feb 16, 2024 10:43:48 GMT -5 blythkd said:

You might also check to make sure all the washers are present and installed correctly. I've seen the fiber washers worn out and/or missing and also seen some of those components installed incorrectly around the starter pawls. 

+1

[mineralman2]

Hopefully the washers don't have any grease on them either. I made the mistake of spraying lube into the starter on my old Buz and that created huge problems. I had to pull the whole thing apart and de-grease everything and now it works much better. Keep us posted!