Hey guys, I have a 75 e150 with a 300 and a 3 speed. This is the second time that I have had problems with the bendix that engages the starter gear. The motor spins, it just won't connect to the flywheel. I bought my last starter from Napa, which usually has decent parts. Any recommendations on where to get a good starter?

 

Did you make sure they gave you the correct starter? The manual transmission takes a different starter then the automatics. And since most Econolines were automatics they may have given you the wrong part. Just something to check & confirm.

The second thing is did you inspect the flywheel ring gear to make sure it's not missing some teeth?

 

I had another starter go bad. This one was from car quest. Same problem with the bendix not engaging. Third time's the charm right?

 

Try a Motorcraft starter!

And make sure your engine has good ground straps/cables.

 

My van is fairly rust free, but I will give a good cleaning to my ground connections. Would having too much/not enough available amperage kill a bendix?

 

three bendix's ??.. are you sure the ring gear is in good condition.. did ya spin it all the way around. there should be 3 spots on it that have the worse wear

 

I replaced the ring gear. The delay in the dying bendix had the starter spinning when it made contact, grinding chunks out of the teeth. The last starter has already started doing the same thing. The starter has a lifetime warranty and the new one works great. It's like the bendix dies a slow death.

 

Is your exhaust pipe close to the starter? High heat can be very hard on them.