2004 Suzuki ltz 250 Quad Sport - Starter Probs

[turk740]

i have owned it about 6 months went through three starters sumthing keeps chewing the teeth off of the starters put new starter gear in it twice too just cant figure it out works alright for a little while then starts messin up the engine seems to backlash when i shut it off too once its running it runs great though tired of buying starters

[oxidized_black]

maybe it needs to be shimmed some

[thuds4evr]

Turk,

Do not know where this thought is coming from, I am not even part way into my first cup of coffee, but what about tooth mesh ? I am way out here on the limb this AM . ! Is there a gasket or shims or a seal to set the amount mesh or clearence when the starter teeth go in or when it releases ? Could it be there it is going in to far and then on release not retracting enough for the gears to clear? Is there any pattern of wear common on the teeth of all the starters you have had to go through ? Do you have any knowledge of the units past history ? Has it by chance been a "racer" , has the previous owner been way into the engine ? My line of thought here is if the later has happened maybe it was not put back together quite right. I know that is a stretch but man the buying of starters is a hard pull on the bill fold !

Like I said I am way out here on this limb on all this. (and it is lonesome out here , but not uncharted territory to me !) Tom

Edited July 22, 2012 by thuds4evr
miss spell and incomplete tought

[turk740]

it has a starter gear and starter clutch there r no shims never been into either it is a fixed starter one way

[turk740]

the gear on the starter and the starter gear match up perfectly but it is chewing the teeth up on the starter

[thuds4evr]

Truk

It is eating the teeth up on the starter you say. Okay, so I go over to CheapCycleParts.com and then I just picked a mdl (250 sport year 2004) so I could see the starter set up. Can not say I learned much. Usually there is some piece or part that "tells the starter gear to move out and engage a flywheel or something similar and spin it up. Then at some rpm the starter gear retracts . Note that I said "usually". I may be way out in the field here , if so tell me how you see it working. At the prices I see on the parts web sites , unless this ATV was a "gift" or "your pockets are dbl extra deep", I can not see how you can keep buying starters for this little jewel.

I hate being old and dumb to boot , but this one is driving me nuts. Surely someone is watching this thread that has some experinces to share with all the rest of us.

It just hangs in my head that the starter gear is not retracting(key word here --Enough}, but why ? Tom

[turk740]

it has a starter clutch the starter is just a starter it dont come out it just spins the starter gear that is connected to the starter clutch it baffles me i cant see anything wrong with any of the components when i put on a new starter it works fine for a couple weeks then the engine or sumthing starts clanging banging and like stops the starter from turning or sumthing then i try to start it again and it may start just fine or it may bang and clang summore until it starts but once it starts it runs great but then after a couple more weeks it just grinds all the teeth off of the starter thank you all for ur help

[oxidized_black]

maybe the smaller gears inside the engine going to the flywheel are shot ???

[Mudflap64]

I have to agree with oxidized black here, I'd pull the starter and check for side play off the flywheel. It could also be a MFG. defect where the starter and flywheel are mis-aligned. Either way, the starter has a "one way bearing/clutch" so the gears are constantly in contact while the engine is running. You might have a bearing going bad that is allowing the flywheel to run out of concentricity, hence, damaging your starter(s).

[cumminsguy93]

I have a 2005 ltz 250 that is doing the same thing I picked it up cheap because of this issue I tore it down and found numerous shorts in the harness and a ground wire all messed up I fixed this I am yet to buy a new stater in fear it will still eat it but I had a thought I could be way off but what if there is a short causing the starter to try to start while the engine is running like I said I could be way off but any info you have found out about it would be much a appreciated