Re: Starter bolt recovered

Posted by David F. Suggs on September 15, 1997 at 10:22:30

In Reply to: Re: 30 Model A starter - Help, lost bolt inside housing
posted by Paul Koncak on August 19, 1997 at 16:57:05

Thanks for the help, it took me awhile to get to it, but I finally recovered the lost bolt from the starter collet.
I checked the cut away views of the flywheel and housing in _The Ford Model A_ (De Angelis ect) and then removed the radius rods socket, but not the bolt set. After pulling out the felt, I found a chewed up lock washer, which was encouraging, but no bolt yet. Continued probing with fingers and magnet until I concluded that the bolt just was not there, it must be forward at a lower point in the flywheel housing.
Then I had an idea; compressed air. Fed a length of 1/4" diameter plastic tube through the starter port and over the top of the flywheel. Blasted some air. Probed down through the port with the magnet on a stiff wire and this time, latched on to something, only about 10 inches in. Slowly withdrew the magnet and there was the bolt with the lock washer still in place!
Evidently, the first lock washer I found above the radius rod socket was a previously lost item. The ears on the washer found on the 5/16"-24 cap screw were not bent up tight to the head, so the bolt must have worked loose.
Thanks again for the replies posted.
David

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