starter not disengaging

[stuart]

hi has anyone had problems with there starter not disengaging until the engine is switched off ?

[rosco]

Yes, I've had several of them do it. All the one's that I have seen have been a clearance issue between the bendix and the ring gear. Usually an extra flywheel cover gskt. will do the trick.

[Neil E.]

Did it work OK from the beginning? Starter fail-to-release is usually from lack of clearance between the gears. An extra (or thicker) gasket on the ignition cover works well.

Does the bendix spring back OK when you cam it out by hand? If not, you've got to correct that first. Keep in mind that the crank location may change during a rebuild and you have to make a matching change to the bendix gear location.

[stuart]

the 1st starter broke 4 or 5 teeth of the ring gear within a few months .

the dealer changed the bendix & ring gear about 4 months ago & it seemed to work ok .

yesterday i noticed when i switched the bike i could hear the bendix disengaging .
the bike is only 9 months old now .

[gasgasman]

When you add a gasket to the cover, you will need to add spacers to the starter mounting bolts on the cylinder.

[stuart]

i had a look there , there's 2 teeth broke off the fly wheel gear & the bendix doesn't spring back when pulled out .

[Neil E.]

Hard to say what's the cause or what's the effect, but I doubt the starter motor is powerful enough to break the ring gear teeth. I suspect the bendix hangs up, then when the ring gear tries to overrun the bendix, it puts too much load on the ring gear teeth and they break.

The bendix parts need some lubrication. If moisture gets inside the ignition cover and the bendix rusts or dries out, then the bendix will hang on release. Slow action will also mean missed starts.

Mangled (but not broken) teeth would be from too much play and the teeth trying to climb over each other.

Clash marks are normal on the bottom of the pinion and the top of the ring gear. This happens even if the flyweight spring is stretched. The spring stretching does help to provide a faster more reliable engagement.

It is still best to kick start the engine when it's cold outside. Once warmed up, the estart usually works OK.

[stuart]

the bendix is well lubed , the big cog on the top of the bendix that the starter turns has 1 tooth missing , the small cog on the bottom of the bendix has 1 tooth slightly worn & 2 teeth are broke of the ring gear on the fly wheel .

i've read loads of posts about people doing various things to make there starter work better .

what i don't get is i paid ?7000 for a bike & would expect everything to work on it & not have to try adding gaskets or washers to make something do what it should do .

the uk importer doesn't want to know & my local dealer ( 100 miles away ) doesn't seem to care since i bought the bike & my boy taking him to court can't be helping !

[Neil E.]

Originally Posted by stuart

the bendix is well lubed , the big cog on the top of the bendix that the starter turns has 1 tooth missing , the small cog on the bottom of the bendix has 1 tooth slightly worn & 2 teeth are broke of the ring gear on the flywheel.

Maybe it all began with the failure of the bendix return spring (the one that compresses when the unit is cammed out). If the unit does not retract, engine RPM will put huge loads on the starting system. The sprag elements inside the bendix are designed for limited over-running on startup.

The one tooth worn on the bendix is normal. It looks like a new bendix and ring gear is the only fix. Do some gear play testing to see what the mesh is like on the new parts. You might need gaskets and/or shims to get it right.

The situation sucks, but at least the bike has a kick starter. Offroad bikes are still a cheap hobby compared to other things you could spend money on.

[stuart]

thanks neil , if there's meant to be a spring in the bottom of the bendix there's not 1 in mine !

if there should be god knows where it is .

the importer said there was a proto type starter kit to replace the faulty one's .

my dealer said he would email the importer & get back to me .

some people have said fix it & sell it , but i don't see why i should as i like the bike & as i got it new i'd loose a shed load of money .

i'm thinking now maybe i should remove the bendix till the bike is fixed as it spins when the engine is running i take it it's not meant to ?