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i have a john deere 318 that keeps breaking the plate of the starter.the plate breaks close to where it bolts on. i have .025 backlash between starter and flywheel.i have checked valve settings numerous times as well as point settings but nothing seems to work.after about 20 starts the starter will break.if anyone has seen this before or has any idea please let me know. the runs pretty good and the starter seems to perform as it should but it really has me stumped as to what to do. thanks

goatfarmhand said:

i have a john deere 318 that keeps breaking the plate of the starter.the plate breaks close to where it bolts on. i have .025 backlash between starter and flywheel.i have checked valve settings numerous times as well as point settings but nothing seems to work.after about 20 starts the starter will break.if anyone has seen this before or has any idea please let me know. the runs pretty good and the starter seems to perform as it should but it really has me stumped as to what to do. thanks

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Do you have your old starter? If you do you can order parts and rebuild it yourself or have it done at electric motor shop. If you don't have it, Recommendation: get model,year,serial numbers, from your John Deere 318 with B43 Onan engine, especially engine numbers, write them down and go to John Deere website and search for starter, create account and log in if you have not done so. We have to be careful where we purchase parts from due to most everything is being mass produced overseas these days in large quantities and most of the time the quality of the product is poor when compared to being made in the U.S.A.. If we want a top quality replacement part we're going to have to pay more. When you find correct starter part number on John Deere website you can shop for best price on internet. Another idea would be to go to Onan's website and enter engine numbers and go to illustrated parts list for your engine to get correct part number for your starter. I would not be surprised if you were to find 6 different part numbers for your starter on various websites on the internet. Last idea is to call or e-mail technical support at John Deere and / or Onan. Good luck and God Bless!

Is the backlash spec called out? Seems like auto application is greater, like .060"+, but could be wrong. Do the starter or flywheel teeth show signs of "climbing" on one another?
This was a problem with some British cars in the 60's.

goatfarmhand said:

i have a john deere 318 that keeps breaking the plate of the starter.the plate breaks close to where it bolts on.

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How many time has this happened?
Does it sound normal when cranking, of does it possible sound like it's stuck in the engaged position. (As in switch key held too long)

I don't think I have ever heard this complaint before.
You sure it's the correct starter? Mounted correctly, etc?

I don't know if a flywheel can get warped or damaged but possibly...

BBO said:

How many time has this happened?
Does it sound normal when cranking, of does it possible sound like it's stuck in the engaged position. (As in switch key held too long)

I don't think I have ever heard this complaint before.
You sure it's the correct starter? Mounted correctly, etc?

I don't know if a flywheel can get warped or damaged but possibly...

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it sounds normal when cranking and its broke it twice. in 50 starts first time i put an aftermarket but the second time i bought one from john deere.every thing sounds fine and it runs fine but it just breaks the bracket where it bolts to the engine. i thought flywheel could be warped but when you turn it by hand it seems ok. ive gone as far as to pull the camshaft cover thinking maybe it had sheared a key or broken a gear but it looks ok too. of course if that was the problem then it probably wouldnt run right. one thing someone might help me with. when i crank it the battery turns the starter over quicker than i thought it used to but i dont see how that would affect it. ive worked on john deere mowers since the 80s and im not an expert by no means. however, ive never run across a problem like that. i thought someone might have run into this before and could shed light on it. i thought about changibg starters and going to the one with a bendix but i would have to rewire something because its wired for one that doesnt carry an exterior bendix. thanks for all your comments i really appreciate every one trying to help.

I have fitted two new one's on China's genset in the past and like you they break, so got a second hand one off e-bay and had no problem after, so put it down to (bad starters) bad forging.

EngineMan said:

I have fitted two new one's on China's genset in the past and like you they break, so got a second hand one off e-bay and had no problem after, so put it down to (bad starters) bad forging.

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Good deal, glad to hear you got it going!

BBO said:

How many time has this happened?
Does it sound normal when cranking, of does it possible sound like it's stuck in the engaged position. (As in switch key held too long)

I don't think I have ever heard this complaint before.
You sure it's the correct starter? Mounted correctly, etc?

I don't know if a flywheel can get warped or damaged but possibly...

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a flywheel can become warped and or cracked over time, teeth can also break. if you find you have a warped flywheel, you can have it resurfaced at a machine shop.

mechanic mark said:

a flywheel can become warped and or cracked over time, teeth can also break. if you find you have a warped flywheel, you can have it resurfaced at a machine shop.

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its broke twice first time I got an aftermarket after 20 or so cranks it broke so I got one from john deere and it lasted about the same. mower runs pretty good flywheel looks ok and it doesn't seem like switch is sticking. I cant find a thing. I was hoping this had happened to someone else.

goatfarmhand said:

its broke twice first time I got an aftermarket after 20 or so cranks it broke so I got one from john deere and it lasted about the same. mower runs pretty good flywheel looks ok and it doesn't seem like switch is sticking. I cant find a thing. I was hoping this had happened to someone else.

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hope this helps you out so you can identify which starter to use. after getting starter part number you can search for best price.

JOHN DEERE Parts Search | FREE

Chinese stuff can be very bad, knocked out in a cottage somewhere. I have had problems of "concentricity" with round saw blades, (center hole not on center). Try putting the suspect units in a vise and turning the drive gear over while measuring for runout. If you don't have a dial indicator , try locking down a pointer of some kind from the base plate and judging the air gap to the shaft as it turns one revolution.

motoman said:

Chinese stuff can be very bad, knocked out in a cottage somewhere. I have had problems of "concentricity" with round saw blades, (center hole not on center). Try putting the suspect units in a vise and turning the drive gear over while measuring for runout. If you don't have a dial indicator , try locking down a pointer of some kind from the base plate and judging the air gap to the shaft as it turns one revolution.

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thanks i will give that a try but the last one i bought was from john deere which costs 300.00 and it didnt last any longer than the other one so i feel ive got another problem. i thought it could be the flywheel but it seems to be ok i may can rig up a pointer to the block and check it in the same manner. thanks great idea!!

goatfarmhand, check the tops of the teeth for marring or chew marks , possibly made if the teeth are climbing one another.