We have a starter like Jim Waltz shows above, but without the mods. They are readily available on E-Bay. One reason the shaft is so long is that it has a one-way clutch. The vast majority spin CW, but make sure you check before buying. Those starters don't have proper bearings for surviving the side loading that you'd get with a belt.
GEM parts are now sold by Brian Jacobson, vkpbrian@gmail.com or on E-Bay at kartsmart13. There are two GEM P/N's for WB820's. Jim W described the one everyone uses (7/16-20 LH on one end, 3/8-24 RH on the other). A 3/8 socket-head cap screw ("Allen bolt") has a 5/16" hex recess, so that's what most starter tips have. The other GEM nut is the same except in place of the 3/8-24 RH threads, it has a 5/16 hex broached right into the nut, and it is useful only for the rare setup where you're starting from the flywheel side. All WB610's and 820's whose output shafts rotate CW have LH threads on both ends of the crank. All whose output shafts rotate CCW have RH threads on both ends. Have fun! The WB820 is a great motor to start out with.
I did try a Rockwell electric ratchet wrench, but the ratcheting action made it work more like an impact wrench, and it really wasn't suitable for a starter. It would have been cool, though as it would have been able to reach in between dual engines and being reversible, you could have started engines from either side.
jim, you just want to sell him starter tips. like ted johnson said the only way to start an LH thread crank engine is from the flywheel side. so this is what you need. find this or something like it.
09-19-2017, 01:31 PM (This post was last modified: 09-19-2017, 01:32 PM by Jim Waltz.)
BTW, I have used my very old Coleman starter as a belt drive starter for perhaps 7 years now, without any apparent problems due to radial(side) loads on the shaft.
I do run the larger 3" dia cups on my Benders, and I run a smaller cup on the starter to improve the starter "drive ratio, and I let the starter spin up to speed before I lean back to put tension on the belt.
Works like a charm! And takes up way less space than the "old school" starters.
Only problem I ever had was when my Buddy Tim (of the Go Kart 800) held the starter backwards at Bakersfield - and tried to start the engines by spinning them backwards. R r r r r.., pop! R r r r r..., pop! R r r r r..., pop!
so let me learn here a West bend has left hand threads and the Coleman starter rotates clockwise
that means you will undo the nut trying to start the motor but the motor still has clockwise rotation ?
so a left hand jam nut is needed to keep the starting nut on but on most other Kart engines the starting
nut will turn as to tighten so its not a problem and is there any mechanism that des en-gauges the starting
motor or do you just yank it out of the kart engine real fast ? i can see belt starting from the flywheel that is
not much of a problem , does starting from the pto stress that part of the crankshaft ? i can see why belt starting
is desirable on a twin engine Kart or the only way to start them
Starting from the flywheel side is most common. If your West Bend is a right hand engine, the crank has left hand threads on both ends of the crank. Therefore, starting from the flywheel end tightens the nut. No further issue. If, for some reason, you are forced to start a RH engine from the clutch end, you must jam the starter nut with a right hand screw or bolt that is screwed into the GEM clutch nut and bears against the end of the crank. If you use a nut starter, just pulling the starter socket off the nut when the engine catches is very easy. Earlier starters had a Bendix overrunning clutch to accommodate the engine starting, but later starters have proven this unnecessary. By the way, Coleman makes a Siamese starter for dual engine karts that has a thru shaft so you can start off either end. this is so you may start one engine off the flywheel nut, and the other off the clutch nut. I've had one for several years, and I won't use anything else. If you are running only a single engine, one extension shaft may be removed so it won't be in your way. It takes three minutes to re-install the extension so you may start your dual kart. Ted
09-19-2017, 08:23 PM (This post was last modified: 09-19-2017, 08:24 PM by Brad Rose.)
Hello!
Great conversation going on. Sorry guys I've been busy with kids sports and work so I haven't had much time to get back to pm's and e-mail. Also I'll try to update my location again. No secret I'm in west central Indiana.
or the moderator will get that done for you.
great post so i saved you a few minutes of computer confusion.
addy is all set
spend the extra time on your kids!!
