Dino Starter

How much did it cost you to have the work done?

 

Not bad. It's officially on my "to do" list. Thanks for the report!

 

Who makes the reduction starter that you used? Is it from Britspares (or whatever) on eBay?

Mark

 

I bought mine from Keith Gustafson(Gustafson Machine shop?) in Mass. I sent him my original starter & he machined the ring starter gear to match & promptly sent back my original. He asked me to test it for him as he had not done any for the 246 just the 308's etc. I had the engine out on the floor and tested it for about 10 hours on & off before putting the engine back in the car. the starter works great - you can get it in & out without removing or even loosening the rear headers and it is smaller & much lighter. I put in a new ignition switch from Bavarian Auto. The whole thing was very inexpensive & it starts right up ...zero problems. I did not re-mount the heat shield for the starter though & Keith told me that the starter should have no problem handling the heat build up in that area. I considered wrapping it in a heat protective blanket but so far I have not done this. It wasn't hard to do and its nice not to have that sick feeling...will it sart? It sure starts!!

 

I wonder if these fit the 206...my starter is flaky to say the least, always works eventually

 

Actually Keith Gustafson (978) 281- 2012 is the one who manufactures these and designs them. He advertises in many of the major classic car magazines I would call him as it is his product and I believe that various other people merely distribute them. He is very knowledgeable on the starters & can machine a starter ring gear to fit whatever you need. He had never done a 246 before(although he has done many many other applications) I sent him my original stock starter as a guide(he returned it immediately) and his work is 1st class...a nice guy too. Good luck!

 

OK, I need some advice. I took my starter out of the Dino and I'm at a fork in the road - I can either repair and improve my Marelli starter or replace it with a reduction starter as discussed in this thread.

I called Keith Gustafson about the reduction starters and he is indeed the manufacturer (and a very nice and knowledgeable guy). He confirmed that the Dino starters for sale on eBay are his and are well made with high quality and easily replaced Japanese components.

OPTION 1: I can simply purchase a reduction starter, install it and be done with it. The only downside is that it will sound like a Japanese starter and not a Marelli starter. Will I care? Should I care?

OPTION 2: I need to repair/replace the solenoid from my Marelli starter and gold plate the contacts - a fix incorporated by a friend of mine on his car some 20+ years ago with great results. The cost will be about the same as a reduction starter!

I'm such a stickler for keeping things original but I know that the reduction starter is such an easy and reliable fix. I run a Tilton XLT starter instead of the stock Lucas starter in my Lotus 69 race car for the same reason. However, the Dino is show car and my baby. Is installing a reduction starter on platinum Dino sacrilegious? Does a Japanese starter really sound that different than a Marelli starter?

Chime in!

 

Having just installed one of these starters in my Dino, I can confirm the sound difference. It is a modern starter sound. I can also confirm that this sound will become music to your ears because you will no longer have to worry about your car not starting and flooding.

 

Just for background, my starter is original and starts car reliably. 191,000 miles so far. Battery and connections must be good. Ignition switch must be operational. Solenoid must be good. Gold is a waste of time, first start burns it off. Original contacts must be in good shape. Had to change starter brushes at about 150,000 miles. Had to rebuild Bendix mechanism at about 180,000 miles. Have to use NGK platinum or iridium plugs. Have Dinoplex replacement from Perma-Tune but original coil so same spark as working Dinoplex. Stock starter does work in SoCal weather. Can be done with Marrelli parts.

John

 

John, what was your work around on the Dinoplex? Andrew

 

For my two cents I would absolutely do the gear reduction starter. The sound it makes will be brief as it will fire the car up on one or two cranks. I would keep the old one anyway but you will love the gear reduction one. Importantly, aside from it being about 1/3 the size & weight you can get it in and out without taking off the rear headers. I dont know all about the show stuff and judges etc but for sheer reliability & not having that sinking feeling "will it start?" I would get the one from Keith Gustafson. I have it in my GTS and I will put it in my GT when it is finished. In fact I have a few British cars I have it in them too. If you want to be super safe buy the ignition switch from Bavarian Auto (BMW 2002) and replace that as well. Its pretty easy stuff & they work great!!

 

Additionally the gear reduction starters draw a lot less current on the battery...

 

+1

In 1994, I had increasing difficulty with my starter over a period of months that culminated at Monterey. Cleaning the contacts cured it and it has started every time since.

Keith, I've seen your concours winning car and the question for you might resolve down to "will any judge be able to detect it is not original"?
The answer might be determined if they can see it through the exhaust manifold spaces.

Why not buy it and try it? Heck, the price isn't bad and with your garage lift, the replacement should be easy to install in a short time - only two bolts and electrical connections to remove/replace it IIRC.
Need some help? I bet Mark N. is willing to learn also...if it doesn't work for you I'll bet Mark would buy the unit, he's been interested in it.


PS - Gold plating the contacts is a great idea. I just revived my 2 interior fan switches in the Euro Dino by cleaning those contact blades.

 

Greetings to all,
Take a look at the helpful hints that John Corbani shared with us in his Dino Saga 050911: "Ignition switch, alternator, regulator, starter, flasher"
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74532&highlight=saga+050911
Note his reference to the diode. Easy, inexpensive, and nearly indetectible means of prolonging the life of the ignition switch.
Incidentally, since I rebuilt & adjusted the carbs, changed plug wires to Cavis, cleaned all terminals & connectors on Dinoplex & stock coil, and installed NGK Iridiums (per John) gapped at .022" (per Coop), my 246 w/Marelli starter quickly fires, on the first attempt, hot or cold. A total metamorphosis! With heat shield in place, my starter is workin' a lot less now & may last a lot longer. My point here is, be sure that all of the systems are in top working order (e.g. gently pull the coil wire out & check for corrosion...even a pristine coil can fool you). One faulty connector or leaking (air or fuel) carb(s) can play havoc on the starter.
Back to the gist of this thread, the gear reduction starter has its merits. If/when the time comes, I'll definitely consider one.
Coop

 

Based on John Corbani's guidance, I'm going to use the original solenoid and reinstall the original starter. I found out about a local shop who does good repair work on starters/solenoids/alternators. They took my solenoid apart and discovered the last person who rebuilt it botched it up. They put in a new contact, reassembled it properly and thoroughly tested it with good results. Hopefully, that's all it required.

I also bought an NOS Marelli solenoid (on eBay) as a backup and so if the starter lets me down again, I'll gold plate the contacts on the NOS replacement or simply go with the reduction starter.

I'm hoping to get the starter back in and the Dino back on the road within a week (time permitting).

Cheers...Keith