Starter for 941B

[941oldB]

Well its been awhile since I have been on this site. Last year everybody helped quite a bit with changing the seals on the lift arms of my 941B. Thanks again Nige. I cleared several acres of property so far. The drought had slowed my progress. Long story short; I think my starter has failed. So I am about to go and try to remove it, but the bucket is down, the way I parked it last week, so its going to be a bugger. The big question at hand is: does anybody have any recommendations for a replacement? I have seen some postings about some aftermarket starters, but I am wondering if they are any good? my serial number is 80H39771
Thanks!

 

[941oldB]

Got the starter out! Not a big issue. It appears to have been a Caterpillar remanufactured starter; 1987. A testament to their workmanship. Anyhow ordered an aftermarket starter, couldn't resist the price. Will keep you posted on the quality after I get it and install.

 

[941oldB]

Well I received the new starter. The starter was nearly the same, excepting that the mounting plate and pinion hood (casting) was clocked differently. Probably not a big deal for most of the applications that the starter was listed for, but in my case, the solenoid being out of position would not allow the starter to fit. I disassembled the mounting the plate and relocated it, then I closely looked at the orientation of the pinion hood to make sure it cleared the flywheel. It did, but not alot of room. I surmised that neither part should move out of position much, so I installed it. It works okay so far.
I am keeping the original starter and will rebuild it for a backup. I guess the lesson here is that one size fits all, means that most fit poorly, and be prepared for the extra work to make it work. Was it worth the savings? After looking at the quality of the nuts used on the terminals, I seriously doubt the new starter will survive as long as the last rebuild from 1987.