Is there a way to tell a 6v starter from a 12v from the outside just by looking at it? A friend is working on a '52 with proper cables and clean connections with a "new" starter that barely turns over. The engine is free. He's thinking the owner of the car bought a 12v starter by mistake but how do we verify that without taking the starter to town to be tested?
Last edited by Tiny; 11/29/20191:47 AM.
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion. Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.
The 6 volt starter main housing or field frame diameter is the same from one end to the other. 6 volt starter also has a clamp on band on one end to cover the hole were the brushes are located. Illustration A
The 12 volt starter main housing or field frame diameter dips down a little on one end and it doesn't have the clamp on band . illustration B
You can tell for sure by simply unbolting the starter. A 6V starter will have a shaft diameter of 5/8", and when you push the shift lever to engage the drive gear, the gear will move straight ahead. 12V starters have a 1/2" diameter shaft, and the gear rotates slightly as it engages due to angled drive lugs on the armature and the drive unit. This minimizes the possibility of gear teeth failing to mesh when the starter pedal is pushed. If you're working with a car starter rather than a truck (which you've carefully forgotten to mention) the solenoid on a key-start 6V starter is bolted onto the starter housing rather than being cast into the nose cone. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion. Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.
If they still have the oval delco Remy tag riveted to them, one is red and the other black. I believe black is 6V and red is 12V but that is from a very old memory.
