I WENT TO START MY FOREMAN THE OTHER DAY AND THE STARTER WOULDN'T TURN OVER. BATTERY WAS GOOD, I COULD HEAR THE RELAY CLICKING BUT NO STARTER? I FELT THE STARTER, IT WAS GETTING WARM. I PULLED THE STATER OFF AND WHEN I LOOKED AT THE BENDIX GEAR IT HAD ALOT OF RUST. TOOK THE CAP OFF AND DISASSEMBLED THE STARTER AND FOUND THE NEEDLE BEARING RUSTED SOLID, IS THIS HAPPENING ALOT? REPLACED THE CAP AND IT WORKS FINE NOW.

 

Not common, when I take a starter apart I used liquid gasket when I put them back together for back up water proofing of the o rings and connections.

 

The starter motor itself was ok, the needle bearing in the cover the slides into the flywheel was rusted solid. How would you seal that opening the starter slides into? There is an o-ring around the cap but how well can it really seal?

 

My Rubicon did the same thing yours did, hearing the relay click but would not turn over. To get it to start I just would hit the starter until I just replaced the starter. I never did inspect it to see what was wrong but it probably did the same thing yours did.

When I took the starter off, there was some kind of white stuff around the gear that is sticking out. I imagine it had to do with keeping water out. I just took what I could get off of it and put it on the new starter.