Hey
My son’s F250 is having starter problems. When trying to start the motor would turn over very briefly, almost fire and then it appears the starter gear disengages with the flywheel as the starter spins until you turn key off.

1987 F250 LB 2WD Auto

We’ve replaced battery, starter and solenoid with the issue still happening. I even tried using jumper cable to go directly from positive battery post to starter and same thing happens.

looking through inspection port shows flywheel teeth in good shape (proper height) but the front edge of teeth (what the starter gear would touch first) are a bit rounded off.

we believe the engine is the 460 but it has carburator and distributor. I thought this year had gone to fuel injection. I have yet to positively ID the motor but my gut tells me the engine might have been swapped at some point and I might have purchased the wrong starter.

do the various Ford starter have different shaft or gear lengths and I could have one that isn’t allowing the starter gear to fully engage with the flywheel?

it’s a first car for my teen and we work on it together. It needs other things-steering colum controls (shifter, turn signal canceller, ignition switch) are sketchy, power steering leaks and there’s a main seal leak. But he’s having fun.

Thoughts?

 

The only thing that can cause that is a bad Bendix on the starter. I know you l said you already replaced it, but try getting another starter.

 

You may have a factory 460 with electric in tank fuel pumps and a carb. 1987 is a change over year. Last of the carbed 460s and the introduction of fuel injection. If it’s a factory carbed 460 you might try posting in the bullnose section.