Broken starter mount

OK, this is depressing. I just found that the mount on top of the alternator into which the upper starter bolt screws is broken. (See attached photo.) Has anyone ever tried to repair one of these? If so, does the case have to be empty before it can be welded?

I've been assuming that I might very well have to open the motor, so finding a used one is not necessarily out of the question.

Thanks.

 

your right that's ugly, do you have the missing piece ?
a good welder could TIG it back on, without it he would have to build it up and then you have to machine it back flat and true to the other tabs, big big pain
at this point if it were mine i'd put two bolts in it and try it, what's there to loose
hold it when you try it if it's tight it's good if it moves a little it won't last long
i'll bet two hold it

 

You could always try so JB Weld.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have the missing piece. One thing I have to consider is that, the bike is not running (that's the way I bought it), so testing the two bolt theory isn't possible right now. If I have to rebuild the engine I don't really want to start with a case that might be a lost cause.

 

baytonemus

may be you could make some kind of a bracket and attache it to the bolt going through the engine. Using it as an anchor. JMO

 

Meaning, make a sort of "Z" bracket that would have a tab with a hole on one end through which the upper alternator cover bolt would pass, and another tab on the other end to which the starter would bolt?

Interesting...

Thanks for the idea, Galamb. I'll take a look at that in the morning.

 

Well, I thought I'd open myself up to ridicule by posting a picture of the "fix" that I came up with. The idea came from Galamb, although he may not want to take credit for it after he sees my work.

I took a scrap piece of soft 1/2 inch copper, hammered it flat, then shaped it and fitted it into the bracket you see. I'm not sure how it will hold up to vibration, but the starter is very solid now. The lower mounting bolt had also been missing so that may have been what caused the upper bracket to break in the first place.

Maybe I'll come up with a more aesthetically pleasing solution later but, for now, I think this will hold.

 

That's not bad. I would consider making it out of steel though, just for some peace of mind - and you already have the template! Not sure I would trust copper but that's only me.

 

You're right. Steel would be better and I considered that. I haven't worked with steel much, though, and my grinder is pretty wimpy. It definitely would be stronger if I could make it fit.

 

TIMEtoRIDE posted this eariler this week, I've got to find some.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSzpmP_vCE4
Looks like the ticket to fix that mount.

 

Yes, he sent that to me in a reply to another thread last night. It does look cool. I did a quick price check and it looks like the smallest pkg of rods you can buy is $65, although I have no idea how far those would go. Being able to do these kinds of repairs on the bike is definitely worth something, too.

 

There are some on ebay a little more economical. Check it out.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/1-9-Aluminum-Repair- ... 0569968646

 

Boy, you're not kidding. That's great!