Sullivan 12 Volt, SUL601 starter

[Jim Allen]

Can this starter be used with a 5.0ah 19.2 volt Lithium Battery without any damage?

Jim Allen

 

[Mark Bullard]

You will have to do a little work on the armature to keep the winding in it. Slide some sort of sticks in the slots and tying some good strong string around the wires where they hook to the commutator tabs. Then CA it all.

 

[John Beardslee]

I’ve used mine stock with the 18v Makita packs for years with no issues. The oldest one I have I used on 24v lawn mower batteries to start boats for a few years, it’s now used to start my heli’s using the Makita packs. I don’t hold them under load for very long to put them under stress.

 

[Jim Allen]

Thanks John,

I may change the order to a Sullivan SUL603 starter which can operate on 12V to 24V.

JA

 

[John Beardslee]

If you’re ordering new, absolutely. I might add that on both the 12v - 601 and the 24v - 603 I’ve learned to take the switch apart and juice it with a dielectric to prevent arcing. Of course that goes away with a Speedmaster type handle for boats.

 

[Jim Allen]

Thanks again John. Valid information that is much appreciated.

 

[Mike Hughes]

I have run both for years with 24v. 2 Lead acid batteries. I finally had to replace the 601 after about 10+ years because the bushing was failing. I now run them on 22.2V with 2200mah. Still no problems.

 

[Jim Allen]

Thanks for the information Mike.

 

[Daniel's Racing]

Can this starter be used with a 5.0ah 19.2 volt Lithium Battery without any damage?

Jim Allen

The yellow 601 are cheaply made and weak.
The dynatron 603 is fine on 24 volt and has a bit of power. Still pretty worthless for starting todays gas engines. Not many messing with Sullivan stuff anymore. The only one they made with enough nuts was the Model 4 which they have discontinued.

Those starters can not come close to the power provided by the starters made with real starter motors.

Do not buy those Chinese model starters either you see being sold all over for sure. I rebuild those weak things almost weakly. Lol.
By the time you replace the switch and add a solenoid you have as much in it as a real one. The motor they used is too small so they are over driving it at 14.8 volts instead of 12 volt and it is still only about 1/2 the power of the ones I build.

By the time you buy a Dynatron and install a decent handle with a switch that actually works and wire in a solenoid and a battery to power it you could buy a real one.
Even the Dynatron struggles with the 36mm engines unless it is on true 24 volt real batteries not 18-19.2 volt cordless tool batteries.

If you want real self contained power these are the only way to go.
In stock right now ready to ship. Complete with battery and charge cable.

Ultimate torque and portability.

 

[Jeff Barnes]

What's the price shipped to Michigan do they come with any type of warranty thanks Jeff

 

[Daniel's Racing]

Jeff,
They are $314 shipped complete with battery and charge cable. I have been making the starter for 6-7 years and while I do not have a specific warranty for lack of a need for one. I have sold a couple hundred of them and because of the quality parts used I have only had one or two issues in all this time and so many starters. I took care of those immediately and would take care of a issue if you had one for sure.
The battery is a quality heavy duty LiPo pack but no warranty on the pack itself. If you take care of it and don't drain it below safe levels they are very dependable.

https://www.intlwaters.com/threads/electric-starters-gas-pulleys-and-belts.74643/

 

[Vince Fantauzzi]

I run my hobbico torque master on 6s (22v) with no issues...I would recommend short bursts to prevent over heating.

 

[Mark Bullard]

I believe that you all are missing the point on running a starter that is wound for 12 vdc on 20 to 24 vdc. They will work just fine on the higher voltage for no longer than the duty that we do. The issues is the speed of the armature (rpm) from 12 to 24 vdc you will double the speed. When this happens the winding or wires will start coming out of the slots or coming unhook from the commutator tabs in time. When this happens the wires get cut by the magnets when they pass and this opens the armature winding and the starter quits. I have pick up a few starters out of the trash can over the years that have done this to other racers at races. Rewound them and are still using them today on two 4S batteries. The oldest is over ten years old.

 

[John Beardslee]

I believe that you all are missing the point on running a starter that is wound for 12 vdc on 20 to 24 vdc. They will work just fine on the higher voltage for no longer than the duty that we do. The issues is the speed of the armature (rpm) from 12 to 24 vdc you will double the speed. When this happens the winding or wires will start coming out of the slots or coming unhook from the commutator tabs in time. When this happens the wires get cut by the magnets when they pass and this opens the armature winding and the starter quits. I have pick up a few starters out of the trash can over the years that have done this to other racers at races. Rewound them and are still using them today on two 4S batteries. The oldest is over ten years old.

Yup! I rewound many Mabushi can motors in the first go around of slot car racing. circa 1963 After rewinding we would coat the winding with epoxy to keep them in place while we spun a 12 volt motor on 36 volts.

 

[Jim Allen]

John & Mark,

Do you think that the slots & commutator tabs could be coated with JB weld before use. Maybe just plain epoxy because JB weld contains some steel.

JA

 

[Jim Allen]

Just found this information. When fully cured, J-B Weld is completely resistant to water, gasoline, and about every other petroleum product or automotive chemical. For wet-surface or submerged water or gasoline repairs, try our SteelStik or WaterWeld. ... J-B Weld is not considered to be a conductor. It is an insulator.

JA

 

[John Beardslee]

I only used Devcon plain epoxy, I don’t think you want anything that would be a conductor going between the poles of the armature other than that copper wire windings.

 

[MikeMischnick]

Yup, coming up on two years of racing using 5 cell 5000 milliamp battery pack That has never failed me. I've used it two- fire up any Nitro motor or model gas motor you could imagine

 

[Brian Sorgente]

I've been using the same dynatron starter for over 20 years and about 8 years ago I started running it on an 18 volt makita battery. No issues yet and I definitely don't do it any favors.

Jim you run outboards too right? I did a thread a while back showing how I made mine reversable. No solenoid and so far it's been rock solid. If I did it again I'd probably just mount the switch on the back of the handle but I was kind of determined to incorporate it into the back cover.

https://www.intlwaters.com/threads/wireless-starter-for-the-outboard-and-inboard-guys.49759/

 

[Daniel's Racing]

Dynatrons never had any issues on 24 volt. The ones running the Makita 18 volt setup will just barely start the 26cc and struggle to start a higher compression 30.5 All depends on what you are planning to start. The Sullivan's are fairly high rpm on 24 volt also which isn't that beneficial for a starting motor. A good engine starter has low rpm torque.
If you haven't bought it yet I would never recommend the 601 at least spring for the Dynatron especially if planning to run it on 24 volt.
The people at the races running gas you almost never see them using the Sullivan style starter any more as it is completely obsolete for the purpose.