My starter was getting very tired when hot. After I accidentally hit the kill switch on the street and couldn't restart for a while I started thinking I needed a replacement.
The easy thing to do would be to get one from RPM, and be 100% sure. However, my budget is rather infirm these days, and a used starter just seemed like a bad idea.
So, I found these DB Electrical guys. The starter is suspiciously cheap, only $67, but it is supposed to be new. I searched for reviews, found some bad stuff about reduction gear starters for Chevy small blocks, but also some posts about great service. Nobody on the whole internet has used their starter on an FJ, apparently. So I volunteered to be a guinea pig. This also gives me the opportunity to have a used starter I can rebuild at some point (RPM has kits).
The starter showed up very fast, packed in a whopping load of Styrofoam peanuts. Looks new.
I thought it would be a fairly easy job, like it is on my other Yamaha. Two 8mm bolts, power cable, and call it good. I was wrong.
The starter can be unbolted, but it will not slide out to the side under the frame. So, I had to unbolt the airbox, and then unbolt the subframe to get it out. This is actually ridiculously easy compared to how airboxes come out on some other bikes. Three 10mm bolts and four clamps to loosen the box, three screws to get the airbox cover out, two bolts that hold the top spars of the subframe to tilt it down and get the box out. Along the way I found out I have a K&N filter. Color me surprised.
After pulling the box I could easily unbolt the power cable and pull the starter. Putting the new one in was a piece of cake.
There is a catch during reassembly. The crankcase breather is a PITA to get back onto the elbow in the airbox. The way I did it was get the elbow on the hose, then put the box back on the carbs, then use a hemostat to pop the elbow in. Wasn't too bad this way.
Now, I just need a little stab of the button, and the bike starts. I'm not sure how long that will last, but I will keep reporting in this thread.
Good find, Keep all of us and Randy informed on how well this starter works.
Fred
Great find mate, now you have another reason to get rid of the airbox and fit uni pods, no need to remove or unbolt anything then :good2:
Yes, please keep us posted, I have not ventured out into the cheap starter market yet, and I doubt I will. Many of these cheap starters are coming in from China. I personally am leery of selling them as I do not want to have problems with any of the products I sell.
I still as selling Japanese made starters and since the Yamaha starter has a selling price of $336.00 and a MSRP of over $550.00 over at boats.net, I am comfortable with the starters I have at the price I sell them for.
My concerns of Chinese products have been confirmed in the last several of weeks. I bought a new, large above ground vinyl liner pool in early June and put it up. The instructions say on almost the first line, "unfold liner and check seams for defects". I looked at them, but how can I find a defect?
I guess I find out be adding water...Low & behold the liner leaked. They ordered another one as a replacement, which took two weeks to get in. I took last Sunday off from the shop and got the second one all put up in the 100* heat.
Guess what...it leaks too. They are now sending me another one, so hopefully the third time is the charm...
If not, I will be getting my money back and never buying another Chinese pool...
Moral of the story; sometimes the cheapest is the cheapest for a reason...
Good luck and I hope the starter works well for you.
Randy - RPM
That's why God invented gunnite....
Quote from: Pat Conlon on July 09, 2013, 11:02:52 AM
That's why God invented gunnite....
Well, hopefully someday...
The FJ parts just to not have that much of a profit margin to afford gunite.
Randy - RPM
Quote from: racerrad8 on July 09, 2013, 10:48:54 AM
Yes, please keep us posted, I have not ventured out into the cheap starter market yet, and I doubt I will. Many of these cheap starters are coming in from China. I personally am leery of selling them as I do not want to have problems with any of the products I sell.
I don't go to casinos, so this is the gambling I do. :yes:
The starter doesn't actually say where it's made, so China is a possibility.
QuoteI still as selling Japanese made starters and since the Yamaha starter has a selling price of $336.00 and a MSRP of over $550.00 over at boats.net, I am comfortable with the starters I have at the price I sell them for.
I'm not uncomfortable with anything you sell. The fork brace is great, BTW. I just can't afford to buy everything all at once and so I'm making do.
I was searching for some other thing I posted and came across this thread. So, I figured I would update.
It has been almost a year now. The starter is still working as it should. No issues whatsoever.