The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Chev/GMC starters interchange?

Simple as that; can a GMC postive ground, and Chev negative ground starter be interchanged? Does anything need to be wired differently if so?

I have a lead on a cheap Chevy starter nearby, to go in my '49 GMC.

Thanks in advance!

No, they are not, because of the DC voltage they are wired reversed of each other, one would run clockwise and the other would run anticlockwise thats how You change direction on a DC motor.The Chevy starter would turn Your engine over in the wrong direction.

Pete

That's an "old mechanic's tale", sort of like an "old wives' tale". Anytime you can make a starter with field coils, (not permanent magnets like the modern ones) run backwards by simply reversing the polarity, I'll kiss your butt at high noon on any town square you name, and give you an hour to draw a crowd. The field windings prevent that from happening. A power window motor runs both ways by simply swapping positive and negative, but the field magnetism is provided by permanent magnets that can't reverse their poles. Not so with wire-wound field coils! The starter will run the same direction regardless of which battery post is connected to ground. Generators are ground-sensitive, not starters, but simply re-polarizing a generator makes it compatible with either ground polarity.
Jerry

If the above ain't enough, look at the Hollander. GMC and Chev starters are both a 436 in the 32nd Hollander.

I always thought that all DC motors were that way , i did look it up in one of My motor books and of course Hotrod is right.
The above is more than enough.

Pete

Thanks a lot guys! Not sure yet if I'll need the starter, mine seems perfectly fine, but it shorts everytime I give it power. Very good to know though, thanks muchly!