HD3 Allis Dozer starter issues

Mr. T. Minnesota · Sep 12, 2020

Forum Members,
Just returned from northern Minnesota doing maintenance on the HD3 Allis. One issue was to clean the sludge out of my fuel tank. I used acetone and it worked very well. Fuel will be treated from now on.
Second issue is a smoking grinding starter. Batteries are new and fully charged condition. Lately it has been giving indications of internal problems. Removed the starter and took it apart and found that the brushes are in need of replacement. I also believe the bushings may be worn so bad that the armature is shorting making it grind and smoke when engaged. Has anyone tried to remove the bushings from a Delco starter and if so do you have any suggestions. I believe there may be three bushings. Any and all ideas are welcome.
Thanks

AJ. · Sep 12, 2020

I would take it to the auto electric shop where they will have all the equipment to recondition the starter, you will have the comfort from it in the future.
AJ

Nordic · Sep 12, 2020

If you decide to change bushings yourself there are a few helpful "YouTube videos" that you can watch.

Mr. T. Minnesota · Sep 13, 2020

Thanks for the advice. Yesterday I found a You Tube site and it explained most of what I need to know. Two items in am not sure about are the removal of the rear bushing. I may
have to find a new end cap/plate with the bushing already in it. Second item is how much wear on the commutator is allowed. The existing commutator is worn down quite a bit. I
am going to take it to a reputable electrical starter repair business tomorrow. Thanks again for the input and if you have any more info feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Sheenist · Sep 13, 2020

Most bushings that are in a blind hole such as an end cap can usually be removed by finding a tap that the
O.D. is a little larger than the inside diameter of the bushing and yet not as large as the outside diameter
of the bushing. When you find this tap, just start threading into the bushing and when it reaches the bottom
of the hole, it will start pushing the bushing out. By the time it is about halfway out, you will be able to
pull it out with your fingers. All this sounds more complicated than it really is. Good luck.

Sheenist

Mr. T. Minnesota · Sep 13, 2020

Thanks for the reply. I knew someone on the forum would come up with an option for pulling the rear bushing. Very clever option. The rear bushing would have been the most difficult to remove seeing as the end plate is solid cast steel.

Mr. T. Minnesota · Sep 14, 2020

Forum Members,
Just delivered the HD3 starter to a reputable repair shop. Told him of the existing condition and he said it should be a relatively easy repair. One thing he mentioned about the
bushings is that they can become damaged by what he called robbing ground. As far as I could figure out it means if the starter is not grounded completely it will ground through
the bushings causing them to gouge/score and wear prematurely. I am guessing being 55 years old things can become less grounded! Any and all thoughts are welcome.

Nordic · Sep 14, 2020

Interesting thought about the grounding through the bushings. On a similar set up as your HD3 I had a starter where the mounting/locking bolt was loose, prior to finding out, it would start good sometimes and other times not even engage. No damage internally though. Sounds like you'll have your HD3 up and running soon. I know what it's like when you're itching to run the machine and the commute is a bit distant. We'll look forward to hearing when it's working like it should. Have a good late summer/early fall.

HD3 Allis Dozer starter issues

Mr. T. Minnesota

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AJ.

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Mr. T. Minnesota

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