Starret 6" Dial Calipers. wont hold zero can they be fixed?

Joe0121

Joe0121

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My starret Caliper wont maintain zero. The action seems overall smooth and it seems to hold zero when measuring longer parts but when I return the caliper to "zero" that is fully closed it will often read .005/.010 usually low but not always. Also the needle is pointed at the 7 oclock position as opposed to 12. The faster I return to zero the worse it seems to be. These Caliper have more sentimental value to me than their intrinsic value and I would mostly use them for reloading.
 
Joe0121 said:
My starret Caliper wont maintain zero. The action seems overall smooth and it seems to hold zero when measuring longer parts but when I return the caliper to "zero" that is fully closed it will often read .005/.010 usually low but not always. Also the needle is pointed at the 7 oclock position as opposed to 12. The faster I return to zero the worse it seems to be. These Caliper have more sentimental value to me than their intrinsic value and I would mostly use them for reloading.
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Sounds like the pinion gear is slipping. Not sure how to fix it. I had mine to skip when it had a speck of dirt between the rack and pinion gears.
 
As Bill said, most likely the pinion skipping on the rack.
Can you remove the rack and clean it, and the rest while your at it. If you have the case they came in there should (once upon a time) have been a little brass shim that you slide in behind the dial to disengage the pinion so you can reset the pointer to 12 o'clock.

Cheers Phil
 
I had that happen send it back to starret they fix it for free. Ray
 
Thanks for the replies fellas. I will try cleaning and inspecting for obvious defects. I will also try to reach Starret. I will let you know how it turns out. I will be bumed of these cant be fix I don't have $200 buck to replace them and dont want to resort to my $30 made in china ones.

Bill C. said:
Sounds like the pinion gear is slipping. Not sure how to fix it. I had mine to skip when it had a speck of dirt between the rack and pinion gears.
Click to expand...

It Apears to be clean but unless you take it apart ya never really know.

12bolts said:
As Bill said, most likely the pinion skipping on the rack.
Can you remove the rack and clean it, and the rest while your at it. If you have the case they came in there should (once upon a time) have been a little brass shim that you slide in behind the dial to disengage the pinion so you can reset the pointer to 12 o'clock.

Cheers Phil
Click to expand...
I am afraid the shim is long gone however I will attempt to dis assemble and clean it. These calipers are the better part of 20 years old and were a gift.

iron man said:
I had that happen send it back to starret they fix it for free. Ray
Click to expand...
Do you have to be the original purchaser of the calipers for Starret to fix them? Still trying to find a customer service number that isnt just for sales or e-mail address.
 
I haven't gotten one that I couldn't fix yet. I've bought quite a few at yard sales for $2-$5 and when I get them they usually need a good cleaning and they skip or they're a little stiff to slide. Or someone else attempted to fix it without taking it apart. Usually it's a small piece of crap in the rack or the pinion.

Theres a small leaf spring inside the slide that gets tensioned up with 2 small screws at the top to adjust the tension on it. There's a stop at the tail end of the scale that can be removed and then you can slide the dial assembly off of the slide. Take it apart and give it a good cleaning, I use wd40 and lots of air to blow things out and lubricate. A sharp pick and a flashlight and maybe even a loupe(magnifying glass) to see the details, depending on how good your eyes are. Take it apart over a tray so you don't lose your small parts.

I bought a 12" brown and sharp caliper for a dollar and it was rough moving it, so rough that I thought I might not be able to fix it. Someone must have had it on a table next to a grinding wheel, it was just heavy laden with grinding grit. I fixed it, it's smooth as the day she was brand new.

Marcel
 
John Hasler said:
I had one (not a Starret) that was doing that. Turned out that the needle was brushing the lens which in turn caused it to slip on the shaft.
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Interesting, it looks like the needle is a bit bent. I'll look into it.
 
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