Gear Reduction Starter Grease?

[mzugg]

If this has been discussed, my apologies - I didn't find it.

It seems that the standard starter design for automotive applications has become the gear reduction type, so I need to come up with a grease for the planetary drives in these to keep my small fleet starting.

Dow Corning makes a grease specifically for this application, Molykote 7514. It is a NLGI 1-2 PAO/Ester Lithium based grease. Perfect, I imagine, but you can't get it - unless you need industrial quantities.

These drives don't really need too much in the way of lubrication, I believe, but they need some, and the most compelling need, as I see it, is the lube needs to have excellent low temp. performance. I'm sure that using the usual automotive grease would lead to disappointment when hitting the key at -45f.

I've been thinking synthetic aviation greases like Mobilith SHC 100, 220, or 460 - I haven't decided. I would appreciate opinions on these, and other alternatives. The starter I currently have apart appears to have a ABS plastic gearcase, so rubber / plastic compatibility is a factor. And it needs to be readily available in tube or tub quantities.

Thank you!

 

[Olas]

I'd be tempted with Moly but it depends how fast the toothed wheel spins - anything too runny could drip/fling off on cranking..

Thinking about it, whenever I've changed a starter in the past the wheel has never been 'greased', just a smooth, reasonably well polished surface.

 

[buck91]

The starter in my bike uses bronze bushings and doesn't require grease. In fact that would just gum it up. But it's an older technology also....

 

[mzugg]

To clarify - this is for the planetary gears inside the starter, not for the pinion gear that engages with the flywheel ring gear.

 

[Jetronic]

check out the greases used for inner cv joints, these are thinner tha for outside cv joints and wheel bearings.

obvioulsy compatible with the plastic/rubber cv boots

 

[mzugg]

Thanks guys! I got some Mobil SHC100. Service temp to -40. Stuck it in the freezer along with a tube of the old standby StaLube red. Big difference! The freezer is just 0, but definitely on the right track. So, I used it. We'll see what happens when it gets cold again. Hopefully I'll have some -20 or -30 weather to test it, rather than going straight to -45 or something and having it be a fly or die situation.