I am sure I misunderstood again.
You mean to test whole engines, not just starter motors? But it is so fun
for the others, I think I play a fool and think you mean only starter
motors.
In case I have had to test a starter motor I have used my father-in-law's
method (to be accurate he is no more my f-i-l, because I found my first wife
to be obsolete to my needs - noisy, hard to control, expensive to maintain
and every morning in need of new paint).
I simple put a starter (of a car, not those cold starters on a table) on the
floor, connect it with starter cables (we in subarctic have special copper
cables with contact jaws to give more starting voltage to neighbour's wife's
car when there is minus 35 celsius hot outside. The wife is of course
already running) to a battery.
When connected, a starter which is either dead or on the thereshold of
pension will run on the floor. In case it is able to continue work in a car
it leaves the scene in hurry and ends to the corner of carage. It takes
rev's so rapidly that rotation inertia/acceleration makes whole starter to
jump away and it disconnects itself in a second.
Next time it may be best if I keep myself in cold starters only?
By the way, 25 years ago when building lifeboats, new engines were tested
before assembling when they were hanging in a chain. They were 2-cyl air
cooled diesels (danish Bukh) and they did run very smoothly "airborne".
Larry
(The Baltic see is free of ice but lakes still frosen even in southern
Finland. Season starts soon.)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas Wiencek" <wiencek@anl.gov>
To: "Alpine, Message" <alpines@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2003 5:33 PM
Subject: Engine Test Stand
> I am thinking about making an engine stand to test start motors I have
> pulled out of various parts cars. I was going to bolt an old cross
> member to the garage floor, set up a radiator and a battery. I think
> the wiring (no generator/alternator, just straight off the battery) will
> be the hardest part. Has anyone else tried this? Any sage advice would
> be greatly appreciated.
>
> Tom
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