I write this from my phone while waiting for a tow...

1980 F100 302 C6 2wd.

Where to start... This past week I replaced the starter (autozone reman), solenoid (advance bwd select), and flex plate (advance). Problem was the starter would spin/grinding sound and would not turn the engine over. It would happen after the engine was "typically" warmed. It ocassionally would crank once it seeme it got passed a bad spot on the flywheel. The teeth were worn and a few had chipped teeth. So like i said, i figured id replace all of those figuring the problem would be solved. I did this after searching the forums for a few hours and other recommendations.

Got everything back together and cranked it. And it sounded like brand new! Couldn't have happier. The cranking sounded like a healthy starter should. I probably started it a half dozen times at most until today. I noticed a slight "hang up" or grind at the end of cranking when i let off the key. Stopped at the gas station after 5 minutes of driving with my 2 year old. Went to start it and the EXACT SAME OLD PROBLEM came back. I eventually had my dad come bring me a breaker bar with a socket to turn the rotate the engine. The starter did start to crank, however it sounded very metallic when it was turning over. Truck didnt start fire up. Cranked agian and the cranking sounded metallic and then trailed off to the spinning grinding sound within 3 to 5 seconds. Did this 3 or 4 times and then all i get is spinning whining noise.

Please help me... any ideas??? Also i replaced the iginition module a few weeks ago. Many thanks in advance!

 

That's an awful feeling. Ugh! Are you sure you got the right starter? An auto small-block takes a different starter than the standard/manual transmission, and the difference is the length of throw. If you put the manual tranny starter on an auto it might reach but it won't fully engage and eventually the teeth will wear - and eventually will be fairly quick.

If you have the right starter perhaps it wasn't well rebuilt. Several on here have gotten bad starters out of the box. Some more than one in a row. So pull it (obviously) and see what the teeth look like, and check the teeth on the flex plate. They have pretty good teeth and may well be fine.

And let us know.

 

Look it over again(the teeth on the flywheel and the starter teeth. If everything looks good, I agree take the starter back and try another one.

 

The other question to ask is how much axial (lengthwise) play in the crankshaft?

Pull and push on the pulley at the front of the engine.

If the engagement is marginal to begin with, and the bendix gear is camming off the front of the flexplate teeth, it could just be VERY sloppy thrust faces on the crank.

 

Thoght id follow up with the solution to my problem. You guys were correct about pulling the starter. Autozone gave me the wrong starter. The starter they gave me was labeled as the correct part number for an automatic transmission but was for a manual transmission!! Idiots... Hind sight is 20/20 and I will ALWAYS double check any parts i get, there is no excuse for that to have happened on Autozones end. The rebuilt starters all have the same part number regardless of store (same number as advance, etc) so they probably are coming from the same source. Honestly an attorney friend if mine said i could take them to small claims court for the tow, time spent replacing and driving to get another, any damage to my flywheel etc... but i dont want that hassle. Buyer beware...

 

Congrat's! I doubt it did much damage to the flex plate as those seem to be pretty hard.

 

There are a lot of bad things said about vatozone starters. I hope that has changed so that you don't keep having starter troubles.

 

Thanks for the help. Now i need it again... lol. Basically put the new starter in and within a few cranks the grinding came back. Took it to the auto repair shop (i was getting frustrated ) to see if they could figure it out. Well they looked at it and said the nose cone some how got jammed and cracked itself. So new starter ordered and the problem still is there. They, like me, thought maybe spacers were needed but it is a ford so shouldnt need them. Basically the starter is some how getting cocked at an odd angle. The auto shop said there is something that the nose of the starter rests on to help support it. The only thing i know of is the spacer plate, which really doesnt do much. Upon looking at my parts cd i realized the spacer plate was mounted wrong. It was put on after the flywheel was installed. Who ever had the transmission out last put it on that way, and i just followed suit when i replaced the flywheel. Soooo... any thoughts as to whats going on? Or any ideas of what the shop was talking about? As always thanks in advance!

 

The spacer, the thin piece of aluminum, is the only thing that helps locate the starter. I think. So I can't imagine what is causing the problem. When you bolt the starter down does it go down evenly?

 

Far as i can tell it tightens down evenly. No gaps or anything like that.

 

Some newer bellhousings have a pilot machined into them to mate with a 'peg' on the nosecone.

I was having a heck of a time last year and went through 5 or 6 starters before I made one work.
Rebuilt, New, Motorcraft, Store Brand, you name it..
Of course my truck has parts from a bunch of different era's.

So, let's see...
New flexplate.(flywheel)
New (correct) starter.
Camming out and blowing the nose off.

Are the holes wallowed out?
Is the centering diameter properly locking it into the spacer?

Try some gear setup paste, or just some zinc oxide sunscreen from the pharmacy.
See where it's hitting.

 

One if the holes for the starter bolts seemed to have threading and the other didnt. However the bolt that goes in the hole without threading, is the same size diameter as the other and there no play with the bolt side to side. Didnt think about the paste. If the shop doesnt figure it out i will do that for sure! I am not sure what you mean about the center diameter locking into the spacer. There doesnt seem to be anything hanging up when i put the starter back in place. Thanks for the ideas!

 

I'm not sure about Windsors, but my 460 has one bolt through the front and one (upper) bolt from the rear (into the starter)

The starter is 'centered' by its piloting diameter fitting into the spacer plate.
I oblonged mine and shifted it closer to the ring gear.
It's been okay for about a year now.

 

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to say thanks to all. I usually only can post from my phone as I don't have internet out in the sticks. Anyway... Eventually the problem kept coming back. So, I bought a parts truck. Pulled the transmission. And little did I realize, the bolt holes in the bell-housing for the starter were supposed to be threaded. The grinding starter transmission bolts were much larger and used a bolt with a nut. Also that transmission had a repair weld one of holes for the bolts. The new parts tuck transmission had much smaller bolts and threaded into the bell housing. No wonder I was having issues. The new flexplate from the grinding truck I put in showed the edge of the teeth being stripped. My guess the starter wasn't fully engaging it. So i put the parts truck transmission in, and it sounds so much better!!! Imagine that! Lol. Just wanted to finish this thread in case anyone else has this problem. Thanks so much for everyone's help. Banging your head on a wall only works for so long.

 

Good job. Glad you got it fixed and that you finished the thread. It will help someone at some point, I'm sure. As for the parts truck, you will be amazed how many times it'll pay off.