Make Money off Old Auto or Truck Starters

Car and Truck StartersAre you constantly amazed at how more things are being recycled every day? I know I sure am. Items in my home or garage that I previously would have burned or thrown in the trash I’m now hearing “Recycle”. What’s amazing me is the wide variety of auto parts that are recyclable. I’ve always known that junkyards make a mint off their used car parts, but I never associated that with the fact that junk cars can be like money in the bank!

Old starters from your trucks or cars can easily be recycled into something useful and, hopefully, environmentally friendly. After all, the environment is the main reason why recycling is so important – that and saving energy, which goes back to the environment! Therefore, when you begin cleaning out your back yard, before you consider those old cars as total junk, let’s check out those starters! As you can see from the picture of an auto starter, many parts can be reused, if necessary.

Have you ever gone to an auto parts store to buy a part to fix your car yourself? If so, you’ve probably purchased many auto parts that have been recycled. While you may think you’re getting a new part, if you ask the sales representative, they’ll probably tell you it’s refurbished or “remanufactured”, which usually means it’s been recycled.

They’ll often pay you a certain price, a core price, for your old part. The reason is so they can turn around, have it recycled and make money from the part. You can earn top dollar by removing, cleaning up and selling your auto parts, like starters, to recycling centers. Here are a few tips on how to recycle your old starters and get top dollar for them.

When you bring your auto or truck starters to the recycling center, the first thing they’ll do is clean it and take it apart so it’s as small as possible, making it easier to melt. By saving them the trouble of having to clean it and take it apart, you’re also adding to the price you’ll be paid for the starter.

<!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->

Starters Equal Profits

In a recent study done on recycling of automobile parts such as starters, alternators and generators, it was shown that with the right tools and knowledge of dismantling these parts, an individual could disassemble approximately 100 starters, yielding about 280 pounds of copper and an even larger amount of iron in an 8-hour day.

Obviously, you’re thinking there is no way you can get a hold of 100 starters at one time, nor do you have all that time or the tools. This is just a guideline as to the opportunities that await you if you do decide to start collecting auto or truck starters for recycling.

Car StarterDisassembling a starter is easy and quick. With the use of a speedwrench, you can easily remove the endplate, followed by releasing the armature brushes and bushings by press breaking the pinion gear. Using a band saw, cut the shaft to separate the pinion gear from the armature. The starter case contains field coils that need to be removed. This can be accomplished by loosening the contacts on the commentator. Cut the field coil wire and armature wire with a lathe or saw. You’ll want to save this wire as it’s like money in your pocket!

Over 50% of the starters today have a starter solenoid that contains a spool of thin copper wire, which you’ll want to remove. Cut the solenoid case lengthwise (a torch works well) so you can remove the lid and get at the inner aluminum spool core, which you’ll need to melt so you can get to the actual copper spool. This may sound like a lot of work but once you’ve done this a couple times, you’ll find it to be a process that you can do in a matter of minutes.

You’ll also find that there’s good money in these parts, whether you take them to a junkyard or recycling center. Scrapped starters that have been dismantled correctly allow the owner to provide the recycling center with marketable iron and copper components.

Making the most of junk cars

Automobiles are a very expensive commodity today, which is why so many people are choosing to purchase used cars and repair their cars rather than trading them in for new models. By recycling your used or junk auto parts, you’re not only putting money in your pocket but also allowing the manufacturers to recycle your old parts and make them into new, marketable parts – at a lower cost than new parts. Therefore, recycling your starters is doing more than just making you a profit and helping the environment. It’s also helping economy and allowing other car owners the opportunity to get good-quality remanufactured parts.

You’ll find that it’s much easier to turn your recycled starter project into a regular moneymaking opportunity if you look for the recycling center that will give you the best price for your starters. Visiting your local auto salvage or junkyard is a great way to find used starters. While some of these junkyards have the used starters on the shelf ready to sell, others will sell them to you for a lower cost if you take them out of the junk cars yourself. This will not only get you more money but will also give you the experience needed to remove them from junk cars so you can improve your technique and speed, allowing you to make more money from this venture.

We’ve all heard the saying, “one man’s junk is another man’s gold”, and never has this saying been more true than when referring to recycling auto or truck starters as well as the many other automobile parts that go together to make your vehicle run smoothly. Becoming familiar with the regulations set by recycling centers will also allow you to make more money recycling starters.

You’ll be informed as to what they require as far as dismantling and cleaning, which will save you and them time. This will also help you to develop a good business relationship with the recycling center of your choice so you can become a customer they look forward to doing business with.