Take the original out (either way, you're gonna do that) and see how it
turns by hand. Can you spin it a few revs with a flick of the finger?
Good. If you need to really push it around, bad. Depending on the
bearing, you might run some light oil in them to free it up and test,
then do it right once you confirm freer bearings do the trick.

Really dry sleeve bearings will heat up fast if you use them a little
bit. Then, they get tighter and worse. It sounds like first time was
cool, but heated them up. Second time it was much tighter. You can
really ruin the bearing that way, so lube it before you go on...

-Skip

Mark E. Skeels wrote:
> Report.
>
> I went to Farm and Fleet after work and dropped $90 on the starter 
> motor. Got home, ate supper and out to the shop.
>
> I decided to check the actual battery voltage under cranking with the 
> original system intact before replacing the starter motor, just in case.
>
> It dropped to 6.5V at the battery terminals. This battery was a couple 
> years old, out of my generator, but it sees almost no use. It had been 
> charged, so I must assume the battery might be bad.
>
> So, I pull the Blazer into the shop and jump to the lawn tractor 
> battery, w/o the engine running, and it cranks vigorously for 10 
> seconds, and starts!
>
> Ok, so a bad battery, I thought.
>
> I jumped to the other lawn tractor battery and it is almost no 
> improvement over the original; it won't crank.
>
> So, I jump to the Blazer again; this time, it cranks only a little 
> better than no jump but it won't start. So I start the engine. It cranks 
> reluctantly, but a bit faster, then starts.
>
> So I'm in a quandary; I still suspect the starter motor. Maybe it is the 
> bearings, it seems more and more likely, but if so, they don't bind  up 
> all the time, and  it  never cranks with just the lawn mower battery. 
> (Except it did once, at first; not today, but not enough to start.)
>
> I guess I should grease the bearings and try again, but it's getting 
> tempting to put the new starter motor in; but if I'm wrong, it's not 
> returnable after installation.
>
> Mark
>   

-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist