Starter rebuild Options

[stugray]

Ok, so during my 914 race car rebuild, I decided to test my starter using a battery charger.
I knew that "not spinning fast enough" wasn't a show stopper, but when the solenoid popped out the gear, but it wouldn't pull back in (on it's own)... that was a problem.

So I decided to completely disassemble & re-grease/reassemble the whole thing.

Here are some pics after a MAJOR cleaning with a lot of Simple Green, & electrical cleaner (Trichloroethylene) it looks like this:

First pic shows all of the parts:
Rotor (spinny thing with associated gear and clutch).
Stator (housing with red plastic coils inside)
housing (mounts to the engine & holds the solenoid lever)
End cap (houses the brushes that provide the commutation)
Solenoid Lever & associated hardware
Dead Spider ..... to keep my grand-kids from messing with it...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i366.photobucket.com-10819-1327385701.1.jpg)


Second Pic:
This shows the alignment of the solenoid with the rotor actuator lever when it is installed.
You see the lever that "actuates" the starter when it is engaged.
When I disassembled this area it showed the problem.... the grease covered this whole area and was getting old and "crusty".


(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i366.photobucket.com-10819-1327385701.2.jpg)

Third picture shows where the rotor spins inside the housing with no stator installed yet.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i366.photobucket.com-10819-1327385702.3.jpg)

Fourth picture shows the clean housing with nothing installed yet:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i366.photobucket.com-10819-1327385702.4.jpg)

Fifth picture shows the Stator installed onto the housing so that the rotor can slip in.


(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i366.photobucket.com-10819-1327385702.5.jpg)


So Now the question for the experts:
When I took this assembly apart, the lower end ( with the lever and gears) was covered in a nasty old grease that had turned "sticky" and prevented the solenoid from disengaging.
I now have perfectly clean parts. Do I re-grease with a Moly- grease and fill the housing cavity & lever area with grease?
Or do I go easy with the electrical lubricant shown in the pic?

I have to put all the lube in first with the lever before I reassemble, so this is critical to avoid making a huge mess.

Stu