Difficulty Level: Easy
Time: About 30-45 minutes 

Even though Woodings railcars are generally newer in age compared to their Fairmont counterparts, they still require some upkeep to keep them running smoothly. Recently I started having tell tale signs of starter failure on my 1985 Woodings CBI, rough starts, or the flywheel not catching and starting the motor. This how to will show you how to replace the starter on a Woodings CBI with a 18HP OH180 Tecumseh engine, although it should work for the CBL with the same engine.

Begin by purchasing a new starter for your car. You can order one direct from Tecumseh, or purchase one from eBay as I did. A rebuilt starter will run you about $20, and a new one for about $70 including shipping. Do yourself a favor by saving you down time in the future by purchasing a NEW starter.

For tools, you will need a 11mm and 13mm box wrench, and the new starter. The new starter will come with 3 new bolts, but I found they were fine thread, where the original bolts were coarse thread, so make sure to SAVE the old bolts for the new starter.

Since you will be needing to get under the railcar, place the car on your trailer, or on steady jacks. Open the front engine door to locate the starter as shown in Fig 1. The starter is located on the right side, about half way down. Go to the rear of the car, and pull the drivers side lift handle all the way back, allowing you to gain access to the bolts that hold the starter in. Inside the cabin, remove the interrior engine cover, and locate the cable on the rear of the starter. The cable runs to the starter relay, located in the upper portion of the engine compartment. Use an 13mm box wrench to remove the starter cable from the relay, as shown in Fig 2. Place the nut and lock washer back on the bolt to keep from losing them. 

 You will now be able to remove the 3, 13mm bolts holding the starter onto the engine.  There is one bolt located on the top of the starter, best gained from inside the cabin, Fig 3, and then 2 bolts on the underside of the starter, best reached from laying under the railcar and reach up into the frame. Remove the top bolt, and then the two bottom bolts, then gently pull the starter back, holding on to keep it from falling. 

Once you have the starter out, compare it with your new one to make sure that your bolt holes will line up. I found that the rear lower bolt hole was 3mm to far back to mate with one of the original bolt holes, however the upper and front lower lined up perfectly. In my case, the 2 bolts will do fine. Remove the power cable from the starter using an 11mm box wrench, Fig 4, and clean the ends of the cable with a wire brush. 

Pretty much installing the new starter is a reverse process, except for one part. When it comes to bolting the starter back to the engine, I found it easier to put in the top bolt first, THEN the bottom bolts.

Once you have everything installed, pull your choke, turn the key, and fire it up!

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