My old lead at the Tulsa hangar told me to tap the starter with a hammer, and I told him that was nonsense

Jake Lane · 2026-09-15T07:40:03.21937+00:00

Back in 2019 I was a green A&P working mids at a hangar in Tulsa, and we had a 172 that would not crank, just a dead click. My lead, a 30 year guy named Del, told me to grab a hammer and give the starter a couple taps. I laughed at him and spent two hours pulling the whole starter off, and of course it bench tested fine. Put it back on, still just a click, so I tapped it once and it spun right over. Turned out the brushes were worn and sticking, and ten seconds with a hammer would have saved me half a shift. So how many of you carry a small dead blow in your box just for this, and does it ever actually hold up past the next flight?

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My old lead at the Tulsa hangar told me to tap the starter with a hammer, and I told him that was nonsense | Aircraft Mechanics - SMM Buzz