1956 ELTO/Gale 5hp question for female vintage motor newbie!

[Cordova]

Hello everyone - this is my first time using this forum so please bear with me! I recently acquired a 1956 ELTO
5hp "Sportster" Model 5D13E. I have spark and compression but am having trouble with the rewind starter. Online, I found a 400-page service manual in PDF format for several years' worth of Gales, including the 1956 ones. I understand that Gales and ELTO's are very similar, and I'm hoping to use this old service manual to find information regarding my rewind starter on the ELTO. Does anybody know what the Gale model number equivalent is to my 1956 5hp ELTO "Sportster"? I think it's the Gale Buccanneer but an actual Gale model number would really help. If anyone knows anything about the rewind starters on ELTO's I'd love to hear from you too. I think the pawls (?) aren't catching after the first pull. I did get the thing to sputter a few times, the 4th attempt being the longest (several seconds). Never knew i had any interest in this type of thing until I got this old motor for free - would be hugely satisfying to get her running again! Motor looks good inside and out - cleaned some gunk out of the fuel lines and fuel filter and it's flowing nicely now so I have spark, compression and fuel - just not a working rewind starter! Am hoping the Gale manual might be of assistance - it has great drawings, parts lists and detailed instructions on service and maintenance but I need to narrow down which section might be (at least partially) applicable to my little ELTO. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out! Sarah.

 

[JimS123]

Re: 1956 ELTO/Gale 5hp question for female vintage motor newbie!

In 1956 The 5HP Gale Buccaneers came under six different model numbers......5S12 and 12B, 5D12 and 12B, and 5D13 and 13B. I don't have documentation to show the differences, but my guess would be that half are short shaft and half are long, and possibly some have recoils and others don't.

As a mater of fact I also have an Elto 5 HP Sportster, but its a few years older. The recoil mounts on the top of the upper cowl with 3 bolts, and the pawls mate with holes in the sheave on top of the flywheel. That sheave is also a rope sheave, so if all else fails you can wind her up with a rope.

If the recoil is more complicated that that, you may have to remove the upper cowl as well.

Parts for that motor are going to be hard to find. Go over to the AOMCI web site and post a question there, then depending upon the answer post a wanted ad in theit Webvertiser.

Good luck...