I need to know what and how to bench test the starter from my '69 144s.

Please don't tell me to just go out and spend another $79.95 on this car. Throwing money at the problems is not the idea -- fixing and conserving what's old, original, and still useful is.

Symptoms (on the car) were: No start, just a click with a good battery. And, with a jump, slow cranking to just barely turning over.

With the unbit still on the car, I cleaned the terminals and checked the battery cables and grounds.

Still turns too clowly to start the engine.

Upon dismantling, I found the brushes nice and long.

But a couple of the magnets and the armature have rust.
Is there any way to save the device, despite these conditions?

The windings have black soot, which Contacts Cleaner will remove.

The Haynes manual suggests that slow turning may be due to worn bearings. The front, brass bearing under the large cap looks smooth.

Where is the rear bearing? As I look at the pinion gear area, I'm not sure where to see the bearing, nor how to check it.

I also notice the armature is stiff to rotate by hand until I move the pinion rearwards, toward the narrow end of the unit (I suppose replicating what the solenoid would do)

What are some tests I can do on the bench?



--
'Don't Understand Why People Abort Volvos, Either'