starter engagement issues

Ken Seegers

SCCoA Member
Last night I tried to start my 93 5 speed. The starter would spin, but not engage the flywheel. I tried two different starters. The battery is fully charged. It sounds like it is spinning fast and missing the flywheel. I am stumped now. Has anybody had this problem?
Thanks
Ken
 
Maybe the teeth on the flywheel are stripped. Try pushing the car a bit in gear so that the flywheel spins a bit, and see if it starts then. If it does, then most likely the flywheel is toast.
 
Maybe the teeth on the flywheel are stripped. Try pushing the car a bit in gear so that the flywheel spins a bit, and see if it starts then. If it does, then most likely the flywheel is toast.

I moved the flywheel and still the same thing. The starter engaged the flywheel before I removed the engine. The flywheel is fine. Is it possible the starter is spinning but not fully extending out to engage the flywheel? I tried two different starters and got the same result. Could this mean a bad soleniod?
Thanks
Ken
 
check the teeth on the flywheel and the flywheel itself to make sure its not cracked. Make sure the bellhousing isnt cracked or something crazy. Maybe you are not getting proper power to the starter and the arm isn't coming out all the way.

chris
 
The starter pinion coming out is mechanically done within the starter, so if the starter spins, the pinion should come out. If the solenoid were bad, the starter would not even spin over. If you have tried 2 starters, then I doubt both of them would be bad in the same way. What was the motor taken out for? Was the same motor put back in, or a different one?
 
Could be low voltage getting to the starter Which would make it not spin the rpm it needs to throw the bendix up into the flywheel. Try cleaning ALL the connections
 
Could be low voltage getting to the starter Which would make it not spin the rpm it needs to throw the bendix up into the flywheel. Try cleaning ALL the connections

Chris,
I will try looking at my connections. I didn't think about them since I did not remove anything but the motor and battery. My battery was on a battery tender since the motor was removed.

Thanks
Ken
 
True to that. That is a strange one. If the Bell housing is bolted all the way up then that is an interesting problem. How does the starter perform on the bench? Does the bendix fully engage?
 
Well last night I check all connections, tested the starter and everything is good. I am still stumped. The starter wiil not engage with the flywheel.
 
That is strange. Did you rebuild the existing engine or use another engine? Just grasping at straws to see what may be different???
 
You have probably already done this but have you tried rotating the engine by hand and move it just a tooth or so to see if the starter engages a different spot of the flywheel?
 
Can you hook the starter to the cars wiring and have someone else turn the key to see if the bendix moves? Is it making a grinding noise when you try to start?
 
Can you hook the starter to the cars wiring and have someone else turn the key to see if the bendix moves? Is it making a grinding noise when you try to start?

Chris,
That is how I tested it last night. It doesn't make any grinding noise. The starter just spins, like it is free. The bendix moved perfectly fine. I am thinking about placing clay against the flywheel to see where it is hitting.

Thanks
Ken
 
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