Starter engages but slow to crank

[tkhoffman]

HI folks.K17 engine. Replaced the Battery a few months back. Old battery was 3 years old and finally quit late Winter. 3 years ago I deleted the key and put in a push button to energize the relay. It's been working fine. What is happening is I Push to start the engine and I hear the starter kick out and engage the flywheel but then it sits there and groans a second. Sometimes I have to release and try again but sometimes if I hold it in the Start position the engine will crank slow and then get faster. It almost seems like the battery doesn't quite have enough cranking Amps. Might this be typical for the K17 starter needing a little rebuild? The new Battery was doing fine for two months, maybe it's not a good battery. Even after the tractor has run a bit, try to start it and usually the same thing. This engine normally starts immediately after it has run a bit. Wire from Relay to Starter has been upgraded to a larger wire 3 years ago so I doubt it is a voltage loss there. any thoughts?

 

[nbextermueller]

A quick way to see if it's a battery issue, is to jump it with a car battery. If it spins like a top, it's likely a weak battery. What CA and or CCA amp battery did you put in it? These older twins really need alot to turn. I put no less than 350 CCA batteries in mine.

Also, the voltage regulators tend to go bad too over time. So it may not be charging completely during running.

My opinion is that the starter doesn't need rebuilt until it starts giving that terrible shutter sound instead of engaging the flywheel.

 

[tkhoffman]

Problem solved.
It was the Starter. The Starter that I just took out was of the type with the Black covering over the Gear shaft. Apparently a metal disc, under this covering flies forward with the gear and that plastic is kind of a slip clutch. I guess over the years this plastic type thing got hard and 'slippery' So the noise that I heard was the disc squeaking as it slipped . I knew it was not and Motor Buzz. Anyway. new Starter in and boy doe it Start the engine quickly. Putting the Starter in this apposed twin was no fun.