axis11

The starter featured is from a 1996 civic lxi M/T. D15Z4. These type of starters can be found on other year models and other D-series engines. The starter was dismantled, cleaned and lubed after the starter solenoid movement becomes slow and not able to make the high current contacts meet. On another occasion, the high current contacts were contaminated with dirt and again weren't able to deliver the high currents needed to turn the engine.
Sorry about the crappy pics.








Remove the nut (#12) that holds the big wire from the solenoid to the motor.




Remove the two nuts(#10) that holds the solenoid in place.





Pull the solenoid assembly slowly taking into consideration that the plunger is connected to a lever mechanism.





Remove the two long bolts(#8) that holds the motor housing assembly.





Slowly pull away the bearing housing assembly.( visible gear). Take note of the position/ orientation of the lever mechanism.






Remove the rear bearing housing slowly as the carbon brush cover might be loose and the brush springs will fly off. Take note of the spacer on top of the bearing. Sometimes it will be on the rotor shaft and might fall off unnoticed.






Pull the rotor towards the front.








The carbon brush assembly with and without the cover. Put your hands around the assembly when removing the cover to catch any spring that might fly. These springs are pretty stiff for their size. Do some cleaning or replace the brushes if they are worn out. I used diesel fuel to clean all the parts.







Clean the windings and housing. They will be covered in black soot.





Clean the commutator.It will also be blackish in color and prevent good conduction. The picture shown was pre-washed in diesel but still needs a fine sand paper.






Clean and lube the two needle roller bearings. One on each housing. Dont apply to much grease as excess grease will just be pushed out. If the needles are loose, replace the bearing set.






Clean and lube the solenoid plunger. It seems these type of solenoids are not removable. I just soaked the solenoid in a bucket of diesel and pushed the plunger by hand to wash away the gunk and dirt on the plunger and contact points. make sure to push hard until the plunger touches the contact points.





Replace everything back in the reverse order and make sure the plunger is inserted/connected to the lever mechanism. Do a bench test to see if the starter is working properly. You should have a fast moving solenoid plunger with a loud click and a gear that moves outward and spins fast. Do a couple of short bursts to make sure the starter is reliable and nothing gets stuck or comes flying off.

StreetsideStig

Neat! It's cool to see one of these apart.

The pics are a little blurry, but great write-up!

deschlong

iTrader: (8)

Any chance you can re-host the pics, OP?