rvich
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2009
- Messages
- 3,181
I have been rebuilding the starter for my boat this morning. My boat has a 1964 Perkins diesel with a Lucas starter and I have discovered a few things that may translate to working on things Lucas and Norton.
A starter motor on a boat lives in a really poor environment. Saltwater, high humidity, poor ventilation. Pulling my starter down for a general overhaul and new brushes has given me an opportunity to see how my previous efforts have helped. Below are a few things that I am happy to report on.
-Field coils. Last time I had the coils out I cleaned them up well and wrapped them with polyester ribbon from the fabric store. I then coated them with 3-M Scotchcoat Electrical Coating to seal them. It has held up really well.
-Zep Iron Clad spray-on metal protection. Every internal part of the starter (excluding the brushes and the contact surface for the brushes) was sprayed with Zep's Iron Clad. After a number of years these pieces are still rust and corrosion free. A coworker and myself took pieces of steel strap, ground off the mill scale and then sprayed them with various protective products. We took these pieces of strap and nailed them to the pier outside of the warehouse where we worked and left them there all winter. The Iron Clad won the competition hands down. Now after tearing down my starter after probably ten years I am pleased to say it is still providing a protective film. The surface feels waxy after the product dries so you won't want to use it on exteriour surfaces unless it is for long term storage. It cleans off easily with kerosene, acetone or similar solvents.
I have never owned nor worked on a Mk3, but I assume some of the above may be handy. The above products certainly will find other uses.
Russ
A starter motor on a boat lives in a really poor environment. Saltwater, high humidity, poor ventilation. Pulling my starter down for a general overhaul and new brushes has given me an opportunity to see how my previous efforts have helped. Below are a few things that I am happy to report on.
-Field coils. Last time I had the coils out I cleaned them up well and wrapped them with polyester ribbon from the fabric store. I then coated them with 3-M Scotchcoat Electrical Coating to seal them. It has held up really well.
-Zep Iron Clad spray-on metal protection. Every internal part of the starter (excluding the brushes and the contact surface for the brushes) was sprayed with Zep's Iron Clad. After a number of years these pieces are still rust and corrosion free. A coworker and myself took pieces of steel strap, ground off the mill scale and then sprayed them with various protective products. We took these pieces of strap and nailed them to the pier outside of the warehouse where we worked and left them there all winter. The Iron Clad won the competition hands down. Now after tearing down my starter after probably ten years I am pleased to say it is still providing a protective film. The surface feels waxy after the product dries so you won't want to use it on exteriour surfaces unless it is for long term storage. It cleans off easily with kerosene, acetone or similar solvents.
I have never owned nor worked on a Mk3, but I assume some of the above may be handy. The above products certainly will find other uses.
Russ
