| Important information for dual electric / Startwell Starter applications | A number of users
of dual electric/ Startwell Starter applications have experienced a starter
failure. In all cases the result of the failure is broken Pinion and Drive
ratchet. In principle more serious damage to the Drive nut and the Shaft
may occur accompanied by a loud noise although until now no users have experienced
this in the field.. When the operator attempts to wind the starter during
the maintenance period he finds that the starter is not functioning. When
the starter is removed they discover the internal damage. This points to
the fact that the starter was actually damaged before the operation (Starting)
took place.
After a thorough investigation we have established that these failures are due to the starter being left in a fully or partially charged state when the electric starter is operated. After a successful maintenance test the operator occasionally leaves the starter partially or fully wound for the next maintenance test. In most cases nothing goes wrong with this practice but things will go wrong if the emergency generator automatically starts up. In all cases to date, this has happened when no one is present near the Generator. The Gen-set starts up and by doing so it breaks the Spring Starter pinion. If the spring starter is charged up fully or as much as 50% it breaks the shaft and Drive nut. In one case the electric starter was also damaged.. Operators may be unaware of this failure until the subsequent maintenance test, when the operator finds the starter inoperable. We are attempting to find a solution to this problem that is independent of the operator. This will probably involve an electrical solution such that if the Spring Starter is engaged with the fly-wheel ring gear the electric starter becomes inoperable and so avoids accidental damage. When a working solution has been found and is approved we will supply the Generator manufacturer with starters fitted with this device so that they can integrate it with the Electric starter wiring Circuit. We may also supply these in a kit form, but the Genset manufacturer will have to send out their own instructions to retrofit the unit. To prevent this accidental damage we advise users to leave the Trip lever in the tripped position after starting the engine. Only reset the starter when starting next time. Since October 2005 a warning has appeared in the operators instruction manual and warning label is present on the starter, advising the operator to read the instructions. |
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Latest Startwell Application: Caterpillar: 3406 DITA
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Startwell gets ISO 9001 accreditation
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| New Startwell starters on its way to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for use on portable fuel pumps powered by Ruggerini MD192 engine to fuel Army and Airforce helicopters. | |
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The success of our latest rage of starters the Super Maxis continues... Trials have shown that we can now start engines as large as 18 litres. This puts us in direct competition with the large Pneumatic and Hydraulic starters, at a fraction of the cost. |
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New Additions ... We have recently added applications for MAN, KUBUTO, and MITSUBISHI engines. For details see the applications list. |
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| At Startwell we're working hard to increase the range of applications that our starters can be used with. If you are interested in any of these applications please contact us for a trial. | |
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For more information about our products please contact us at
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+44 (0) 20 8863 4450 
+44 (0) 20 8863 4410