My 85 Ranger is constantly having problems starting. I have taken the starter in and it checked out fine. The problem is that when I try to start it up the starter either whines and doesn't catch the flywheel or if it does catch the flywheel it sounds like it is grinding the teeth. When I replaced the transmission last year the mechanic said that the fly wheel's teeth were fine. I can push start the truck but that gets to be a pain. I was told that maybe my battery is not sending enough juice to power the starter. Can this be true or is there a chance that my fly wheel is warp. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all


RedBilly

 

you might want to try pulling the starter motor out and looking at the starter drive gear. While its out you may as well replace it. they are only about 5 bucks from autozone and its not too hard to do. Just three bolts and a pin. Just dont pull the starter motor case completely off or you will drop the brushes and it will be a pain to put back together. Also shine a flashlight into the hole the starter came out of and you should be able to see the teeth of the flywheel. Check for metal grindings and extreme wear on the teeth.
Any gas station should be able to perform a load test on your battery to see if it is putting out enough juice to start the truck.
Hope this helps some

 

Thanks for the info. I will try that first.

 

Had a similar problem with the 65 Caddy, the gear was not being thrown out properly, I just replace the starter.

 

I am on my 5th or 6th starter. I am now able to take the starter out in under 2 minutes and put it back on at the same pace. It stills does it with a brand new (re-manufactured) starter. The current start is a re-manufactured Ford starter.

 

I would try what Matt said, have the battery tested. You could also replace the cables, I had starting trouble on my Mustang due to internal corrosion of the cables. Is the gear on the flywheel OK all the way around?

 

From what the mechanic said. The Fly Wheel looks fine. I am not seeing any metal shavings when I have to replace the starters it just seems to be that they just stop working.

 

5th or 6th starter? wow! were they all the same brand? There really isnt a lot to a starter motor that is going to go horribly wrong 5 or 6 time even if they are rebuilds. What could wear a starter out is if it does not dissengage from the flywheel after the motor is started but i dont see that happening in your case. You should check your battery cables, that was a good thought someone had and make sure they are not too warn.
Also Try starting it with the shifter in neutral just to eliminate the possiblity of binding inside the transmission or clutch that could be making it difficult to turn over. You also might want to take a breaker bar and socket on the crank and see if you can turn the engine over by hand (make sure you disconnect the coil first). With the spark plugs in the motor it will be hard to turn but it is turnable. if you are fairly strong and you cant turn the motor over something could be wrong internaly in the engine. But again i dont think this is likely given your symtoms. just trying to eliminate all the possibliities.
Good Luck
Matt

 

Thats the way to look at the teeth but I would pull the plugs so it will turn easier, plus this will be an added safety factor.

 

On an older Ranger it is usually possible to "adjust" the starter in a bit closer to the ring gear. Loosen the bolts and push the starter in towards the engine then tighten the bolts back up. See if this helps.

 

Thanks for the tips. I will try these and see what happens.

The starters have not all been the same brands.

 

Sorry in advance for the length of this reply

In older Fords (all V8's & inline 6's), they all used the same starter, including AMC 6's & Jeep 6's. Although the starters were all identical, some needed shimmed, in order to move them further away from the flywheel. This seems incredibly strange to me, but it was indeed the case. I have had instances where the starter was too close to the flywheel, and so the first time the engine was started, the flywheel teeth were still touching the starter gear when started. It made an AWFUL screetching grinding noise. Fortunately, I figured it out AFTER THE FIRST TIME it made the noise, and avoided destroying my flywheel gear, and a brand new starter. I am thinking along the lines of the "Racerguy" post. I was not aware that later engines (4 cylinders & V6's) had the same issue, but they may. Another thing that can complicate the issue is the METHOD which Ford uses to throw the starter gear out there to engage the flywheel. It is possible for the starter motor to spin, even though the gear has NOT jumped out to engage the flywheel, which can cause the "whine" of the starter motor spinning, and lack of engagement, that you described. And, it is possible for the starter motor to start spinning BEFORE the starter gear jumps completely out to the fully engaged position, causing the "grinding teeth" sound you described. The starter gear is thrown out by the strong electromagnetic force (attraction) of the armature. There is a contact in the starter, that SHORTS the field windings, so that the energized armature will activate the starter gear mechanism, then, as the gear engages, the contact opens, shunting current through the field, and causing the starter motor to spin. If this contact fails, the field will be getting juice as soon as you turn the key to start, and so it will spin without engaging. If the contacts ARE contacting, but not sufficiently (as if burned or damaged), then there will be adequate current flowing through the armature to attract the starter gear mechanism, but the field will be getting enough juice to start the thing spinning before it's engaged, causing the nasty grinding noise you heard. I've had this exact same thing happen. There can also be a bad electrical connection inside the starter running TO OR FROM the contacts, so that the contacts can LOOK FINE, but the starter will still malfunction. However, it would be an INCREDIBLE COINCIDENCE to get 5 or 6 in a row that would be doing this! That further leads me to suspect what "Racerguy" suggested. Do a little research, and find out if there is a starter that inserts FURTHER INTO THE HOLE, causing the starter gear to be closer to the flywheel. I know, what a pain in the @#$%&! If I knew for sure, I'd point you in the right direction, but I don't yet. Remanufacturers don't give you NEARLY ENOUGH DETAILED INFO which is absolutely necessary to know in a situation like yours! GOOD LUCK! Keep us informed.

 

Had any luck?????????

 

 

Hey RedBilly, how's the starter working?????????