starter jammed in flathead 8
 

I am relieved the engine doesn't seem to be frozen but now I can not get the starter to come out. I have removed the bolt to oil pan and the two through bolts. The housing came off but the guts won't turn or move. Is there something else I am forgetting to do or what is the next step.
Barry

I'm going to say that the starter drive may be damaged or badly jammed into the bellhousing/flywheel. Will it wriggle or move at all?

No, no movement at all.

Have you got a helper that can rotate the crank with the front pulley nut while you try to dislodge the armature and drive? That might help. Short of that, you might be looking at pulling the transmission to get it apart.

I will get someone to try but I couldn't get the engine to turn at all earlier. How bad is pulling the tranny?

It depends on what transmission you have. The light duty floor and column shifted 3-speeds aren't very heavy, but the floor shifted 4-speed is quite a chunk of iron. You have to remove the front seat and the transmission cover in the floor of the cab and lift the transmission up into the cab to remove it after you get it all unbolted. The rear crossmember design impedes removing it underneath the truck.

I have a column shifted three speed. Does that still come up through the floor? Are we looking at a full day of work? Any special tools/parts needed? Do I generally follow the shop manual directions?

don't know if this will help but i have had many starter jams over the years. at first, just rocking the truck in gear broke it loose (put it in 3rd, push forward). it seemed to get jammed harder as time went on. there were times when it was stuck like yours. a couple of times i took the starter off, leaving the armature sticking out of the engine, then i would tap it a few times, it would fall out, then put together and start over. i noticed the bendix was jamming on the flywheel tooth to tooth and against the cover on the transmission side to the point where it bulged and tore the metal. i peeled off most of the cover to see what was going on. my theory was that each jam tended to bend the starter plate a little more. i added a couple shims along engine side of starter to pull the bendix closer to flywheel and that cured 95% of the jams. i still get about one per year. most will rock out. if it won't, i loosen the two long starter bolts. take my temp cover off the bendix cover, a couple taps on the bendix with a screwdriver, hammer and it pops free. that can be a little challenging if it's a daily driver. don't know the ultimate solution, but i can get by now. dick r

Dick explained the way I un-stick 'em. High gear and rock it back and forth. It'll pop loose and drop on the ground probably.

Putting the starter back together is a whole 'nother education.

Thats the true invention of Rock & Roll - The Flathead Ford

Doesn't the cap on the back side of the starter plate come off? Pretty sure you can just pop that off to get at the drive. I'll look for a picture, I can't remember if the cap comes out the front or back but Pretty sure it's the rear.

Thanks for the feedback. I will try rocking in the morning (sounds like the beginning of a song). I could not see a way to get the drive cover off the back unless it is just a press fit and could be pryed/tapped off. Barry

My back cover came off that way once - wasn't sure it was supposed to. There is a lip on the inside that keeps it in place. Might try hitting it with a rubber mallet and see if you can pop it off. It will need to be re-installed from the front and probably need the lip staked back down.

Hopefully as several of us have suggested the rock and roll method will work. If it is necessary to pull the transmission (which would surprise me) it is an easy chore. In my younger days I would R & R the transmission in 2 hours including breaking down the box for parts replacement (That light duty flathead trans did not like the 56 Buick nailhead and my younger and therefore heavier foot running through it). On my 49 I did not even remove the seat.
Basic steps:

1. Remove sheet metal cover above trans.

2. Lift battery leads.

3. Disconnect driveshaft at rear of trans.

4. Support engine at bell housing.

5. Unbolt trans at crossmember

6. Unbolt trans at bellhousing

7. Remove gear shift linkage and clutch linkage

8. Carefully pry/wiggle the trans back away from engine and lift it through from above.


No special tools required. The only part requiring a little finess is getting the trans lined back up with the trans input shaft splines into the clutch and the tip of the input shaft into the pilot bearing.

I probably forgot a few things. The last time I did it was the early 80's! I have a lift now but did not back then.

re starter
 

my starter did the same thing on my 48.
i unbolted the backing plate that is on the bottom of the trans and took the starter off with the plate. should only be 5 or 6 bolts.
regards tom