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Looking for brushes for a military starter

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BruceWayne426

Member
New to the forum and needing a little assistance.

I have a 1982 OMC Military 40 horse, Model AM-40A. I know it is an odd ball motor but it has been verified for what it is over the course of the 15+ years I have owned it. It was a classic Ebay purchase where the guy who bought it did not know what he had. He got it at a military surplus auction when he was bidding on a Korean War X-ray machine and they threw the outboard in because no-one was bidding on it. When I got it, it had never been in the water. These only came as rope starts so, with the help of a going-out-business marine business in Maine in 2006, I was able to purchase a geared flywheel and starter, which I have been using ever since. I have a full military parts and repair manual, but again, since these were only produced as rope starts for the military, the manual does not mention them. That is a little odd because the starter is stamped with the same model number as the outboard itself.

The brushes are now getting worn on the starter and need replaced. The starter is stamped Model AM-40A with a serial number of E5559459. Parts searches come up nil because it is an odd ball piece. I need someone who is familiar with OMC starters who might be able to cross reference this to something I can get get brushes for or a way of getting this to work consistently once again. I don't know if the brushes can be replaced or if I need to look for a replacement starter.

Any advice or comments are appreciated!
 
Most on here have never seen one of those motors.----So post pictures of this starter.----Post pictures of the brushes you need.
 
Thanks racerone for your reply. Once I was launching at Lake Cumberland in KY and a mechanic at one of the marinas noticed it. He had never seen one and proceeded to point out all the differences. He said you had to have a special certificate to work on one.

I have taken several pics of the starter. My biggest question is if the brushes can be replaced? If I can find some close to this size, can they be filed to fit? I can see where the starter mounting might be unique to the motor but would think the internal parts would be standard.

I am having trouble getting a picture to load. The format is jpg and have reduced the resolution to the lowest setting. When I click on the insert image icon, it takes me to the pic file, I click on Choose File to Load, then it takes me back to the previous screen. The selected file is listed next to the Choose File button but clicking on the Load File(s) causes no new action. I appreciate any help for a newbie is getting photos to load.

Bruce
 
Re: Looking for brushes for a military starter PICTURES!

IMG_1453_Fotor.jpgstarter_Fotor.jpgIMG_1452_Fotor.jpgIMG_1454_Fotor.jpgIMG_1455_Fotor.jpgIMG_1457_Fotor.jpg

I finally figured out the upload procedure. These are views of an OMC AM-40A military starter. Although the outside of the motor was painted olive drab, inside the hood was Johnson white. The first and last two pics are of the actual brushes. The last pic is looking down from the top to gauge the dimension going through the holding bracket. Again, I would like to replace the brushes if possible. Otherwise, I need to know what civilian starter would work on my application.

Thanks again for any and all assistance!
 
I would go to the auto electric rebuilder(s) in the nearest city...if you need it right away....

Otherwise, check with the 'brand name' rebuilders' rep...a couple emails could get you the name and phone number and you parts in the mail..
 
That looks like the starter bracket and starter off a 1960's model 40 HP Johnson.------Should be easy to find / make those brushes.----Hurry to your local starter / alternator shop.----If you still have such a shop in your area.---That type of shop with grey haired expert is going extinct.
 
That starter bracket is in fact used on a 1960 model 40 HP.----This now makes me curious as to what this military motor is.----Post a few more pictures of the motor and powerhead with cowling off.
 
I ordered a new set of brushes. I am not sure on the procedure to replace them. It looks like I will need to pry the rings open where the braided cables are threaded into. I store my boat at a lot. The next time I get it home, I will take some pictures and post them here.
 
Success!! I received new brushes from MarineEngines in only two days! I installed them today in my starter and it now spins faster than my car.

Racerone asked for a few pics of this motor. As mentioned in my first post, it is a bit of an oddball but it runs beautifully. I just need to jump through a few hoops when finding parts. Several years ago the crankshaft broke at the flywheel. There were signs of an old stress crack probably from being dropped on its side in the coffin-like case that came with it. I was able to find a military crankshaft, I think it was from Seattle Marine and the parts man told me that a "civilian" crankshaft would not have worked. The military shop manual does list cross-reference numbers for Johnson/Evinrude so I can easily or an impeller or other standard parts.

Here are a few pics of the motor sans cowl.

View attachment 26738 View attachment 26739 View attachment 26742
Of course, being military, there were many cautions throughout. This sticker on top the recoil warns of the danger of removing the recoil.
View attachment 26743
Since the motor was totally painted olive drab, (I wish I had taken a before picture), I could make it anything I wanted. There was not a Johnson or Evinrude 40 hp sold in 1982, so I had to go to the next year available. Ince my boat is a 1971 Starcraft and is painted an off-white, I decided to make may motor a Johnson. I found a guy in Nevada who made reproduction decals. I rattle-canned over the olive drab in Johnson white and applied the decals. Only the fine members of this forum know the difference!
View attachment 26744

Thanks again for your assistance! Here is sunset picture I took tonight at Lon Hagler Lake just outside of Loveland, CO where I took my 1982 OMC Military out for a spin with its new rebuilt starter.
915A45ED-AD12-4A7B-864F-88BE69C63EFE_Fotor.jpg
 
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They revived the earlier ( 1960's) design 40 HP as a " commercial model " in the early 1980's.-----And likely a few were converted to military models as well.----Pictures did not show up for me in post #9----Those earlier 40 HP motors were simple and rugged.-----They did make changes ( lower crank bearing and spline ) to the design in the early 1970's.-----Then when someone found a warehouse full of parts they revived them as " commercial models " in the mid 1980's.-----Now there are folks who want simple design instead of all the electronic stuff with too many wires.
 
To me it is just ---" older technology "----With some mods to get water out of the motor in case of submersion.----Either accidental or " hide it under water for a few days " ----Some of those parts are the same as a 1960 model.----Some parts are from 1971 to 1976 models.
 
Thanks again! I'll stick with my old technology any day. Did you notice my 1949 Willys Jeep in only of the pics? I have been wrenching on that for 32 years.

Quick question - what causes a high rev at startup? The motor starts right away but will rev very high for 5-10 seconds. Twisting the throttle back down to slow has no effect. It settles back down on its own and runs fine from there on. Does the carb need a good cleaning? I know there is probably a good thread on this forum for that issue. If so, just link me up with that and I will proceed. You have been so good with your replies, I thought I would take a chance with a quick question.
 
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