What was found
(CAN) DURING A START ON THE GROUND, THE STARTER GENERATOR PRODUCED A LARGE AMPERAGE DRAW, AND STARTED SMOKING. THE START WAS ABORTED BY THE PILOT. UPON DISASSEMBLY, IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE WAS CONTINUITY BETWEEN ALL THE TERMINALS ON THE STARTER, HOWEVER, THE INSULATION ON THE WINDINGS WAS DAMAGED AND THE STARTER AND ALL ITS INTERNAL PARTS/COMPONENTS WERE BLACK, FROM THE SMOKE/SOOT. UPON DISCUSSING WITH THE PILOT, THE PILOT HAD NOTED A GRADUAL CHANGE IN THE VOLTAGE DROP THAT OCCURRED DURING THE PREVIOUS FEW STARTS. FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED NO ADDITIONAL DEFECTS AND NO ROOT CAUSES. THE HYPOTHESIS AT THIS POINT IS THAT THE STARTER SOMEHOW GOT DAMAGE TO THE INTERNAL INSULATION ON THE WINDINGS, AND MINOR ARCING COULD HAVE OCCURRED WHICH CREATING MORE HEAT AND DAMAGED THE INSULATION FURTHER. THIS WOULD HAVE CREATED A RAPIDLY WORSENING CONDITION TO THE POINT WHERE THERE WAS A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE UNIT THUS CAUSING THE OVERHEAT, THE LARGE AMPERAGE DRAW AND THE SMOKE. UPON REPLACING THE STARTER GENERATOR, AND THE BATTERY DUE TO THE DISCHARGED STATE, NO FURTHER DEFECTS WERE NOTED OR OCCURRED.