• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Enduralast starter in my 94 RS

ANDYVH

New member
As my RS continues to age gracefully but still serve my daily riding, some things do wear out. Like recently, I am quite sure the original Valeo starter that I rebuilt six years ago (reglued the magnets in the casing) finally let go again. This spring it cranked over harder than I recall in the past. Last Sunday, after washing it I planned to ride, got geared up, key on,....nothing,...not even a glimmer of dash lights. When I installed a replacement battery, positive attached, touched the negative lead to the battery and got HUGE sparks, I suspect a direct short.

I checked the wiring, positive to the starter, and found no breaks or contacts to the frame. So I suspected the starter (actually, Jim Ing at Nick's BMW suggested I check the starter). Found a new replacement at Euro Motoelectrics, Enduralst replacement for the Valeo original. Got it four days later for $119 plus $12.54 shipping, Denver to Green Bay. Looks good, bolted right in, battery cables hooked up, no sparks, fired right up. In fact, it fires up faster now than it has in ten years. Also with the starter came this test info:
 

Attachments

  • Starter Data.jpg
    Starter Data.jpg
    156.4 KB · Views: 85
Thanks for posting the test data Andy.
460/424/315A is on their bench, not in our bikes, I wonder what the actual start current would be.
 
I agree. But I thought it was interesting to get the data along with the new starter. It sure cranks now and fires much quicker. But that is more due to less voltage drop during cranking than anything else. If I had just replaced the casing with the magnets installed my old starter may have done fine too. Euro Motorelectrics also sell a kit which is the casing for the starter with new magnets, and a new glue/staking process to retain the magnets to the casing. That kit is only $40.
 
Thanks for posting the test data Andy.
460/424/315A is on their bench, not in our bikes, I wonder what the actual start current would be.

When the circuit is first closed, and the starter motor is fully engaged, but not yet turning, it will appear to be a direct short.
At that point it is all about the resistance of the windings and the internal resistance of the battery.

In other words it will probably be limited by the "cranking amps" spec of the battery. Around 200A ?
This quickly drops away as the motor starts to turn.

Note, the cables going from the battery to the starter are not really big enough to carry 200A for very long.
The assumption is that the battery will go flat long before the fire starts.
 
The Enduralast starter is claimed to be an exact copy of the Valeo. Side by side they look very similar. My bet is the casing (the part with the magnets in it) would fit both the Valeo and the Enduralst. I may still buy the casing kit for the Valeo and have a backup starter at the ready. I have extra brushes and other starter parts from a Valeo starter for a Renault that I bought cheap on ebay.

Lots of Oilhead riders know the Valeo starter in the R1100 is the exact same starter in many small European cars. So in a pinch, check the local foreign car salvage yards. May find one cheap, at least for parts.
 
Back
Top