Starter problem

[Puremuscle]

Have an issue with starting. I turn the key, you can hear the starter spinning but doesn't crank the engine. I bought a new one put it on and the same thing. I checked to make sure the flywheel was not missing any teeth/damaged, and it wasn't. I've driven fords all my life and it sounds like a bad starter drive. I am a little confused that a new one out of the box would be bad, but i guess things can happen. I'm going to take the new one back to make sure. If the next one does the same, any other ideas you guys might have.

 

[Verno]

Is it engaging (solenoid kicking drive out) or just spinning? You can test this on bench orat battery with a jumper.

 

[KobeJ05]

check the soleniod on the fire wall. i would just replace it anyway there cheap there like 10 dollars there right by the battery.

 

[Puremuscle]

It engages start to turn the engine the makes the wining noise. It appears to stop on a compression stroke. I can take a wrench turn the engine a little, hit the starter again, the engine may crank half a turn the the starter goes out again.

 

[Vargas]

I'm confused.

In your first post, you say the starter spins but is not engaging to the flywheel.

In your most recent post, you say it does engage the flywheel, but doesn't have the power to crank the motor.

The first issue is entirely mechanical. Since it happened with both starters, I'd wonder if there is damage to the mounting area that is preventing the starter from properly aligning with the flywheel.

The second issue is probably electrical - weak battery, bad cable, etc. Of course, it's possible the problem is not the starter, but that the engine won't rotate properly due to major internal problem. Does it feel OK when turn by hand with a wrench?

 

[Puremuscle]

Yeah, i probably wasn't clear. I can hear the drive pinion engaging the flywheel (solenoid kicking it out). Once it is engaged instead of it cranking the engine, only the starter is heard spinning. The engine turns fine and it was running fine when i parked it. It was one of those things where you drive home everything works normally. Get up the next day to go somewhere and you have an issue.

 

[driemersma1]

i have the same thing happening right now. i got my starter tested today and its perfect. i still have the new one in the truck but if the old one is perfect i but the new one is also. i'm going crazy trying to figure this out.

derrick

 

[Verno]

If the starter tests "perfect" then you only have Battery, starter relay, and cables left in the picture (provided this happens when you jumper it at relay on fenderwell as well as with key, otherwise you also have ign switch in the mix of possible problems. Has your battery had a load test done?

 

[driemersma1]

my battery is dead but i hooked up jumper cables to another truck and had juice. tried to jump the relay and nothing. starter spun but did not engage. are there any fuses anywhere or should i just put the old starter in that tested good?

derrick
i just found this forum today and so far is very great to have on hand. thanks for the replies.

 

[Puremuscle]

Update on my issue. I had my started testes also and it checked out fine. The only thing I could figure could be a problem was the flywheel. So, I took a look at it and noticed that when I spun the engine by hand that the flywheel appears to be out of round. In other words the point where the starter drive and flywheel meet, the distance varies. I even noticed marking on the flywheel teeth where the starter drive was rubbing the teeth. I replace the starter turn the engine by hand to a certain point, hit the starter and sure enough the starter turned the engine to a certain point and started spinning again. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing happening? What could cause this. Broken/damage flywheel.

 

[driemersma1]

ok got a new battery and changed the starter to the old one that was tested good. the new starter is also good now that it has been checked. and i still have the same problem spins but don't engage. i'm giving this truck to my brother becuse he is in collage and is broke like everybody else paying there own way. i can not give it to him till i know it works. he lives 2 hours away and is very car dumb, and i don't want to have to drive up there to fix anything.

thanks
derrick

 

[driemersma1]

ttt

 

[Puremuscle]

Took it to the shop yesterday. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of this.

 

[driemersma1]

well if you would please let me know how it turns out. i still have nothing going right and changed everything twice.

 

[Puremuscle]

Transmission guy called me. Flywheel is broken/cracked close to where it bolts to the crank. I'll take a picture of it and try to post it.

 

[Puremuscle]

Starter problem was a flywheel problem

I wrote an earlier post on this: I had what I thought was a starter problem - bad starter drive, but it turned out to be a cracked flywheel. I replaced a starter thinking it was the problem but when the new one did the same thing as the old, just spining but not turning the engine, i was at a lost. I took a look at the flywheel for missing teeth but saw none. What i did notice was the distance between the bellhousing and flywheel vary as I turned the engine by hand. Took it to the shop and sure enough the flywheel was cracked aroudnd the mounting holes. Replaced the flywheel and problem solved...Just thought I'd pass this information along. Hope it helps.