Unidentified (Flying) Objects: Identify Those Mystery Parts COLUMN BY NATHAN UNGER Sometimes perfectly good parts (and whole units) get sent flying into the scrap because nobody can identify them. The following is a collage of ideas on how to identify units and parts that have inadequate identification, hereinafter referred to as Unidentified (Flying) Objects or UFOs. ¢ If a label is covered with cheap spray paint, lacquer thinner might take the paint off enough so you can guess at the part number. Or maybe you can carefully scrape the paint away. In some cases I found that the label ink was not adhered to the paint. Sometimes even through the paint you can see the number because of the differ- ence in surface thicknesses. Even on stickers where the ink is rubbed off, put some rubbing alcohol or light oil on the label. Because the surface of the sticker will reflect light differently when moistened, holding the unit up to the light at the right angle will often reveal the part number. Do the process of elimination. Knowing the numbering format based on the make, compare the various characters to all the num- bers and letters. Older Prestolite starters will usually have three let- ters, four numbers, and maybe another letter, for example, whereas older Delco starters have seven numbers, the first three of which are usually 110. You would know by its position in the part number whether to expect a letter or a number. It also helps to recognize the font or character style. A number one might have similarities to a seven depending on what font is being used for the number. A three might look like an eight. A partial Six or a nine might be confused with a zero, unless the zero is cross slashed. If you can see only half of a number, go through the 10 num- bers to think which ones it is not. Then try substituting the remain- ing possibilities when you enter the number in your computer. The supplier’s database you are using may not accept all the possibilities, narrowing it down even further. Then compare pictures of the units that are possibilities to see if any are like the unit on your bench. Delco dot-punched numbers can be a challenge, but having a list of what all the digits look like in that format can help you eliminate what it’s not, then make educated guesses, using a question mark in place of the missing or unclear dig- its. (More on this question mark idea later.) Here it usually helps to spray some WD40 on it and rub a rag over it a few times to bring out the characters better. Zeros are usually cross slashed here. Can you recognize the logos? Also, try to find out what make of engine it’s off of. That may be a clue as to what type of starter or alternator it is. If it’s a Komatsu excavator for example, then it will more likely use Nikko or Sawafuji, versus Prestolite. Familiarize yourself with where on the starter or alternator to look for a part number. Some Valeo and Ford alternators have it on the slip ring end bearing cap. The old 17SI Delco had it on the front surface of the drive end housing. Sawafuji starters may have the part number on the back of the commutator end housing. Mitsubishi starters usually have their number on the flat part in front of the solenoid mount on the drive end. It helps narrow your search if you can identify what voltage it runs at. Do some measuring of solenoid amps, shunt coil amps, rotor amps, or generator field amps. Compare these to known units in your shop. If the amperage of your UFO is twice that of your 12V shop unit, then it is probably a 6V. If it’s half as much, it’s probably a 24V. Compare copper sizes on arma- tures. Thicker sizes usually mean a lower rated voltage. Look for any stampings or numbers on any parts, then using the part identification, do a “where used” lookup to get you to the different possibilities of starters. For exam- ple, older Delco, Prestolite, and Bosch armatures often have num- bers stamped in the laminations. Lucas and Ford drive end castings often have numbers cast in. Sometimes you can identify parts by dimensions or appear- ance. Chances are if the starter is too rare to be easily identified, there will not be very many similar ones. Once you know what starters your parts will fit, then look at the starter pictures to compare to your UFO. I have loaded the following CDs or files onto my hard drive: Transpo; WAI; Wilson Version 2 (I keep this because the new version omits a lot of bill of materials info.); Wilson Version 3 (Has newer units and much improved part number recogni- tion ability. Sometimes I look it up in version 3, then go back to version 2 to get the bill of materi- als.); Lester Kwikfinder DVD and Web site; RCP; Zen catalog (Downloaded from Web site www.zensa.com.br); CSD cata- log (Downloaded from website www.4csd.net. Contact them to set up an account.) They can also be entered into your start up file so they all open up when you turn your computer on in the morning. Then you can just control+shift+tab or control