Ah, the satisfaction from having a high-power motor is supreme.

Last weekend I replaced my 33-year old Hitachi starting motor with a 32-year old Mitsubishi starter. What a difference it makes.

Now my A12 starts with a flick of the key. It seems like it fires up with oh, say, 1/2 engine revolution. This is how I remember my old 1200, starts right up, no cranking necessary. That old Mitsu sure has a lot of torque.

The Hitachi is a low-power motor, it's the one on most 1200s that has only two brushes and the inspection band around the back of the housing. The Mitsubishi is used on newer A14s, etc. It has four brushes and an end-cap that completely covers the back of the starter.

Apparently the Mitsu was used on some JDM A12s ... 'cause my came with a JDM engine and came as a spare with my car. It's probably been sitting in a box for 15 years. I just put a drop of oil on the front, rear, and clutch gear bushings, checked the brushes (looked good), and put it on the car. My old 1200 had a Bosch starter, which was also a big improvement over the Hitachi.

Why did I replace the starter? Because the solenoid was getting bad on the old starter. It got to the point I'd have to turn the key several times before it would engage, even a few times I got out and rapped on the solenoid to get it to start. Unfortunately the A-series solenoids don't come apart for cleaning, the wires are soldered on. Anyways, it's easy enough to swap one.

Did I mention how easy it is to work on a 1200? Even the starter is easy to get on and off. Time for a sasparilla ...

and my thought i was the only person who liked sarsparilla and root beer, will have to go find one of these starters now too...

Here's a reduction gear starter:
Nissan Part Number 23300-H9100R


eBay listing 7235207608
These were standard starting with 1978 B210s in Canada and optional in USA. The motor mount brackets were changed so it would fit. reference: [url= http://datsun1200.com/modules/nsectio ... p?op=viewarticle&artid=92]A-type Engine Changes[/url]

:) i have one of those! aren't they cool? Just barely clears the engine mount on the passenger side.

One down side they crank a little slower i think. On the up side, probably draws less current, and is capable of cranking high compression engines easier.

BTW... these are not at all difficult to get. I got mine from partsamerica.com it was probably over $100 but that's what a new starter costs.

Also, no problem on my MT, who knows what flywheel i have, but it worked with my previous starter and this one as well.