Hard to find starter

[bluwateronly]

Hello all, I have a 1976 31 Bombay Clipper. The motor is a 75 Westerbeke L25. The starter is cranking real slow so I pulled it and had it tested at a local Diesel marine electrics shop and he said it was turning slow and smelled burnt. This is what I expected but I did not expect him to tell me he can't get parts for this lucas 25689f starter. I did a few google searches and did not find the parts I need to rebuild. A new starter from torresen marine is over 1000.00 any help please.

[fullkeel7]

WOW! Sounds like you need to find another purchase point. Starters ain't cheap, but find a dealer that doesn't PLATED their starters!

Bluewater, I've only had to buy 2 starters. I started my search in the phone book (emergency situations) for a marina or marina parts dealer that handled the manufacture brand for the engine. Both times I was able to get the OEM part (YANMAR) and both ran around $450.00, maybe less IIRC. If you have time to search and cross referencing, surely you could do a little better cost wise. That price seems way out of line.

Bob

[funsailthekeys]

I was able to find a new gear reduction starter for a 1969 Volvo MD 29 from a starter shop in Miami. All it took was an adapter ring that they made in house-total cost was about $350.00. I'm sorry that I don't remember the name of the shop, but it's a place to start. sucks getting old

[hellosailor]

Blu, try looking for a place that rebuilds starters. If the bearings and mechanical parts are good, it may only need to be rewired and "electric motor" and "starter" shops used to do that routinely. That should bring it back up to speed for $100 or less.

Look for a clean & organized shop though. If it is a dirty jumble--odds are their work is too.

[funsailthekeys]

As I stated earlier I was able to secure a new starter, I also had the old one rewound and new brushes and insulation installed the starter works fine now but still has the original solenoid.

[bluwateronly]

Thanks for the advice. The shop I started with was a starter rebuilding shop. I would love to get the starter rebuilt rather than get a new starter the problem is he can not find the parts. I heard that the L25 came with either a lucas or delco starter. I can not find a place to cross reference the starter to see which delco it was anybody have a L25 westerbeke with a non lucas starter in it I would love to get the numbers of it if I can't find the parts to get this one rebuilt. I guess I could call England, (Lucas) and see if they can ship the parts I need however, seems like their should be somebody closer. I am located in the San Francisco bay area maybe I need to go to a different shop anybody know a good one. I would even be willing to ship it somewhere that would rebuild it.

[hellosailor]

Try calling Delco first. Both companies (Delco and AC Delco, it has been split up) might have made it or know about it. Both are tops at answering the phone or email. Westerbleak [sic] really SHOULD know who they contracted to buy that part from, but sometimes they don't like to talk. (All of their parts are contracted.)

Long shot: Go to a large auto parts store when things are slow, i.e. midmorning or midafternoon. If they sell rebuilt starters, someone there may recognize what you have as a Delco, or be willing to open up a few boxes looking for something similar. (I did that once trying to match up an alternator, and we got it.)

If you have a digital camera, or even a cell phone with camera, it also can pay to take some pictures (with a ruler for scale) and email them to folks who might know, i.e. at Lucas or Delco directly. or, someplace like JCI (Johnson Controls) where they also have a large OEM-rebuilding division.

Does it seem "metric" ? That would point to Lucas, rather than Delco. Or knowing the English, it would need Whitworth wrenches. [g]

SOMEONE out there is going to recognize it. Might even upload it here.

[sailingdog]

Chances are very good that it is a Lucas, since the OP says it is a Lucas.

This is what I expected but I did not expect him to tell me he can't get parts for this lucas 25689f starter

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Try calling Delco first. Both companies (Delco and AC Delco, it has been split up) might have made it or know about it. Both are tops at answering the phone or email. Westerbleak [sic] really SHOULD know who they contracted to buy that part from, but sometimes they don't like to talk. (All of their parts are contracted.)

Long shot: Go to a large auto parts store when things are slow, i.e. midmorning or midafternoon. If they sell rebuilt starters, someone there may recognize what you have as a Delco, or be willing to open up a few boxes looking for something similar. (I did that once trying to match up an alternator, and we got it.)

If you have a digital camera, or even a cell phone with camera, it also can pay to take some pictures (with a ruler for scale) and email them to folks who might know, i.e. at Lucas or Delco directly. or, someplace like JCI (Johnson Controls) where they also have a large OEM-rebuilding division.

Does it seem "metric" ? That would point to Lucas, rather than Delco. Or knowing the English, it would need Whitworth wrenches. [g]

SOMEONE out there is going to recognize it. Might even upload it here.

[Gary1]

Blu,

My old Westerbeke 4107 (aka Perkins 4-107) has a Lucas starter, also, and the last time it had a problem, the guy at the starter shop told me parts were getting scarce. Fortunately, that time it was in need of a couple of bearings, new brushes and turn the commutator down, so I got off (reasonably ) cheap.

I did a little searching around, talked to some friends, and found out that I could buy a whole engine for what it would cost to replace the old starter motor from The Prince of Darkness (aka Lucas--ask anyone who's ever owned an English motorcycle). Rather than hunting for just a starter, you might want to peruse the used market for a complete, running engine. I've found them for $300-$500 bucks, complete with transmission and v-drive. I think I'd go that way, strip the pieces that are expensive (starter, injection pump, injectors) plus any of the other weirdness that Westerbeke chose to put on your engine, have that starter rebuilt, and save the other goodies for a stormy day.

BTW, some of those old transmissions, if they are in good shape, are worth more as parts than the whole engine/transmission ass'y is. Go figure.

Last thing, check with a good electric motor shop. Old timers in that business who don't mind getting clever can and will find suitable field windings, rewind the armature, and all of those other things that young kids don't know how to do, or are simply too lazy to do.

Good luck,

[hellosailor]

Ah, good catch, SD. I got caught in a decaffienated moment by the reference to Delco!