Had the cheap Chinese electric starter fail on my 2016 m8000 at about 2,000 miles. Not easy to access or remove but got it out last night. Thrust washer at the back end of the starter broke in half and fell into the brush assembly. DEAD short. Have had hundreds of starters out of all sorts of equipment apart over my career as a heavy diesel mechanic. NEVER have I seen a failure like this. Arctic Cat used a Chinese built starter and it died an early death. Surprise!! Now I get to replace it with another Chinese starter that costs more the one in my 2001 Dodge Cummins truck. That one by the way is still the original with over 375,000 miles.
Also, grease had dried out in the bearings. I will drill a small hole in the rear cover of the new one to allow a needle greaser to lube the rear bearing.
Also, grease had dried out in the bearings. I will drill a small hole in the rear cover of the new one to allow a needle greaser to lube the rear bearing.