starter spins, doesnt engage
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New User
Joined: Mar 2002
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starter spins, doesnt engage
hey all, started having probs with starter, so i put in a new one. worked great for 4 days. now it spins but doenst engage. had this problem with the other starter too, but that starter had some real problems outside of this. the new starter works fine when hooked up at the bench at the auto parts store. felt for broken teeth ont eh flywheel, didnt feel any. any suggestions? solenoid?
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,964
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From: Woodruff, SC
starter spins, doesnt engage
Even though the starter works fine on the bench does,nt mean it will work in the truck.Being that it is rebuilt i would try another starter the folks that rebuild the starters these day's do'nt replace every part i know it happened to me i replaced the starter in my sisters impala 3 time's before i got a good one
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,964
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From: Woodruff, SC
starter spins, doesnt engage
Good point if you have a alingment problem an easy way to check is to have someone try to start the truck while you are under listening to the starter to see if it trys to engage
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New User
Joined: Mar 2002
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starter spins, doesnt engage
>Thats all it can be, either a bad starter or you could have
>an alignment problem causing the starter drive to bind and
>not engage with the flywheel.
that sounds kinda reasonable there. how can i check to see if its aligned improperly?
>an alignment problem causing the starter drive to bind and
>not engage with the flywheel.
that sounds kinda reasonable there. how can i check to see if its aligned improperly?
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Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,964
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From: Woodruff, SC
starter spins, doesnt engage
The only alingment problem i can think of is if the flywheel was replaced along the way the flywheel might be a hair bigger just enough to interfere with the drive also take a real good look at the flywheel for any crack's , rough spots , etc. Do you remember what the starter drive looked like on the old starter was the drive worn heavy or rough? I have heard of flywheel problems like this before not to say this is whats wrong with yours but it's a start the only other thing that i can think of is that your getting a rash of messed up starters.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 892
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From: Duluth, MN
starter spins, doesnt engage
If it ain't broke.....change stuff till it is!
Has there been any flexplate/flywheel work done on it? we have a bronco in our high school auto shop right now with a similar prob. we pulled the flywheel out, only to find out the teeth were fine. we put a new starter in and found that the flywheel in there was the wrong size. causing it to not engage properly. u might want to check to see if it's the wrong size flywheel(only if work has been done to it). if not, it shouldn't be a prob.
Has there been any flexplate/flywheel work done on it? we have a bronco in our high school auto shop right now with a similar prob. we pulled the flywheel out, only to find out the teeth were fine. we put a new starter in and found that the flywheel in there was the wrong size. causing it to not engage properly. u might want to check to see if it's the wrong size flywheel(only if work has been done to it). if not, it shouldn't be a prob.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 261
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From: Western NC
starter spins, doesnt engage
Wow. That's a great catch! I'm guessing that checking the size of the flywheel wasn't the first thing on the list of things you were going to check. It sure as heck wouldn't have been on mine and the find you made would have been the result of about the last thing I'd have checked. Good goin'
New User
Joined: Jun 2006
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hi all,
Found this thread while searching for solutions for my own truck, an '86 F150 with 300 straight six and automatic. I've replaced the starter repeatedly with the same result. It will start fine for a random number of times, then will either grind or just not engage at all (chances of not starting increase when I'm running late or wearing decent clothes). I've found that it will start fine if I crawl under it and loosen the starter enough to re-align it (thus the decent clothes part). My father mentioned that the starter bolts play a rather small roll in locating the starter..... the location in relationship to the starter plate/flywheel is largely determined by the hole the starter snout fits into. That sounds reasonable to me given the intermintent nature of my starter trouble. I suspect the starter is torquing itself away from the flywheel over time and throwing itself out of alignment. The hole the starter snout fits into on my C6 trans is on a plate sandwiched between the block and the bell housing... and is indeed all wallowed out. Maybe the problem, will try it and get back to ya on it.
Rock on
Found this thread while searching for solutions for my own truck, an '86 F150 with 300 straight six and automatic. I've replaced the starter repeatedly with the same result. It will start fine for a random number of times, then will either grind or just not engage at all (chances of not starting increase when I'm running late or wearing decent clothes). I've found that it will start fine if I crawl under it and loosen the starter enough to re-align it (thus the decent clothes part). My father mentioned that the starter bolts play a rather small roll in locating the starter..... the location in relationship to the starter plate/flywheel is largely determined by the hole the starter snout fits into. That sounds reasonable to me given the intermintent nature of my starter trouble. I suspect the starter is torquing itself away from the flywheel over time and throwing itself out of alignment. The hole the starter snout fits into on my C6 trans is on a plate sandwiched between the block and the bell housing... and is indeed all wallowed out. Maybe the problem, will try it and get back to ya on it.
Rock on