starter bendix

[Charlie M]

What does a starter bendix do for a starter. They weren't used on the letter series starters but my 300U has one.If the starter sometimes doesn't engage when you turn the key does that mean the bendix is bad or going bad or is it a starter issue.

 

[Hayfarmer]

I think they did use a bendix on letter series tractors. It throws the starter gear into the flywheel teeth with centrifical force and allows it to disengage when engine starts. Not engaging can be fault of bendix, low battery, or worn teeth on ring gear of flywheel. Engine tends to stop at same place each time and so teeth on ring gear tend to wear more in one area. Need to pull starter to see if bendix is bad.

 

[Bob M]

A bendix is one way to drive the starter pinion into engagement with the ring gear when the starter is activated. (The other way uses a solenoid powered shifter - the solenoid pushes the pinion into engagement before the starter spins up.)

If a bendix sometimes doesn't engage it means the bendix mechanism needs to be cleaned/lube, the pinion or ring gear teeth are badly worn, or the starter is spinning up too slowly to drive the pinion out (usually caused by a weak battery or starter).

Incidentally ALL letter series tractors with gasoline engines were equipped with bendix drive starters.

 

[old]

All electric starters used a bendex. The bendex is the drive gear that when you hit the starter button the gear moves to engage the ring gear on the flywheel. With out the bendex the starter would have to spin over all the time the engine is running which of course would destroy the bushings in the starter fast

 

[Charlie M]

Maybe I am calling it the wrong thing - the part I'm asking about is attached to the outside of the starter - maybe a selenoid?

 

[old]

Well as I said the bendex is the gear that engages the flywheel ring gear. The letter series used a push button switch either on the starter or on the steering column If what you have has 2 wires big ones going to the battery and to the starter then one or 2 smaller wires then that is a solenoid

 

[D Slater]

300 has a starter switch or selonoid mounted on the starter. If the starter fails to work check for power at the small wire terminal when the switch is moved to start. If good power there, take one side of a good jumper cable and jump from one big post on the switch to the other. If that doesn't work use the jumper cable fom the battery post to the post or strap from post to starter switch on the starter. If you made good contact in all the tests and the starter still hasn't worked you have a bad ground, battery or the problem is in the starter. Or just take a known good battery and jumper cables from it to ground at the starter and other to the starter post.If the starter works then the problem is elsewhere. Make sure tractor is out of gear and blocked.

 

[Janicholson]

It is a small can like device and is called a starter relay. (it is often called a solenoid, but those usually also cause the starter drive (Bendix) to move into the Flywheel with a mechanical fork like linkage. Yours just turns on and off the electricity to the starter motor, its drive self engages. Jim

 

[Owen Aaland]

(quoted from post at 16:37:35 12/17/12) A bendix is one way to drive the starter pinion into engagement with the ring gear when the starter is activated. (The other way uses a solenoid powered shifter - the solenoid pushes the pinion into engagement before the starter spins up.)

If a bendix sometimes doesn't engage it means the bendix mechanism needs to be cleaned/lube, the pinion or ring gear teeth are badly worn, or the starter is spinning up too slowly to drive the pinion out (usually caused by a weak battery or starter).

Incidentally ALL letter series tractors with gasoline engines were equipped with bendix drive starters.

Actually Bendix is the name of the company that owned the patent for that style of starter drive. The patent was for an inertia type starter drive that used a triple thread screw.

Just like the name Kleanex has has become synonymous with facial tissue, Bendix has become the term used to describe that type of starter drive no matter who manufactured it.

 

[pete 23]

I know this is kind of late on this subject , but I just have to say something here. Everyone seems to call a starter drive a BENDIX. Well, there are two basic styles of starter drives in use on almost all equipment made. The bendix drive is engaged through centrifical force of the armature starting to turn while drive is resisting motion and being mounted on helical splines it moves out ward or inward depending on application and thus engages the ring gear. The other style starter drive is a over running clutch style that is engaged with a fork operated through a solenoid. The over running clutch may be a ratcheting type or ball or rollers and ramps. Tractors, like a 300, use a bendix drive, with a magnetic switch on top of starter, ( commonly incorrectly called a solenoid). They are used so a remote electric ,key energized circuit can be used. Just thought I would throw this out there. Something like calling all snowmobiles Skidoo's or calling all track tractors cats.