A quick thought on retrofitting.

[Kameron M]

This might not work at all, I'm mentioning that right off the bat- nor have I tried it.

I noticed that the carbon brushes on the dynamo looked about the same size as the sintered carbon-copper brushes on the starter motor. The copper brushes do favor current draw, at the expense of extremely fast commutator wear.

What I was wondering- on that note, is whether or not carbon only brushes from the Dynamo could be retrofitted onto the starter, such that the commutator wear on the starter (far more expensive a thing to fix than brush replacement) is reduced to effectively nil. Has anyone tried this before?

-kam-

[Steve Simmons]

Never even considered it, but considering the armature / commutator in my TC's starter is 67 years old and still going, I think the idea is a solution looking for a problem.

[Marv]

With a smile on my face Steve, Well said! I haven't heard that one since I retired out of the Aerospace industry. Too many times do we look for a solution to a non-existent problem. Can't blame Kam for thinking out loud though. Keep it up Kam!

Marv
TC5141

[Duncan M]

Along with the required current draw, I think the brushes in the starter motor on a very cold day could change extremes of temp quite rapidly.

[Eric Worpe]

Hi Kam,
The initial surge starter current could be as high as 250 amps, which as previously stated would bring the carbon brushes up to "glow" temperatures. The brushes are only used sporadically, so no great wear takes place especially if your engine "fires up" quickly.
Eric.