Nippondenso Industrial Starter Motor Components Needed By John Dundee For years I have been trying to convince numerous manufacturers of after-market electrical products to pro- duce and catalog a number of Nippondenso gear-reduction industrial cranking motor components, i.e., nose cones, back plates, and solenoid (housings) yokes. Much to my chagrin this has failed to materialize. In an effort to diagnose why these units continually are a source of come- backs and ill feelings between vendor and installer, I surmised several years ago that the most formal logic for such failures was bearing tolerances within the unit’s basic construction. While solenoid contacts on Nippondenso passenger car applications has proven to be the cure, and sometimes the cure for the industrial counterparts, more often this is not the case. Almost all Nippondenso industrial cranking motors are subject to bear- ing orifice failure due to bearing ori- fices within the unit becoming irregular or “oversized” caused by bearing stress/fatigue. Subsequent bearing nontolerance within the components of the starter unit will result in poor per- formance on the vehicle. Although these units test favorably or average ona test bench, actual starting condi- tions on a Thermo-King, tractor, fork- lift or other machinery is extremely abnormal. The bearing cavities on al- most all industrial Nippondenso crank- ing motors are subject for inspection; shim stock or tolerances rings are usu- ally the choice for problem solving. What other alternatives exist? Ninety percent of the Nippondenso industrial core units suffer from much the same malady. Anexcellent example of which I speak happened a few weeks ago. A Nippondenso industrial starter motor used on an oil drilling/pumping rig came into the shop for rebuilding. It was readily diagnosed as improper bear- ing tolerance between the nose cone and starter drive/clutch assembly. The unit was further inspected and the nec- essary rebuilding procedures initiated. While awaiting a tolerance ring for this application to be ordered (a 6005 bearing tolerance ring), the unit was temporarily reassembled and shelved for later installation of said component part. The customer and owner of this unit happened upon the scene and un- beknown to the rebuilding crew took possession of the unit; quite naturally he returned a few days later, only to learn of the unfortunate subplot in which he was involved. However, with the tolerance ring installed he once again was a happy customer. (The above narrative concerning bearing bores and their dire consequences is a quite common experience). This is the reason I have been ad- vocating that the suppliers of automo- tive electrical components and parts find and/or devise a method to manu- facture and supply these much needed products. And yes, it is true that all of the above material can be purchased from Nippondenso; although the cost is sometimes prohibitive to the rebuilder. John Dundee is a technician at B&C Truck Electric Company, Kansas City, MO. JANUARY, 2000 Page 1 of 1