**fixed**Help with starter motor problem please

[neilmw]

****ALL SORTED THANKS******
92 Merc 4.3, alpha 1 Gen 2

Starter only 2 months old, now starter just clicks in and starter motor spins but doesnt turn engine, Have to turn engine on the crank with a spanner to release starter, check connections, checked and greased flywheel, no teeth missing and engine turns over by hand (spanner) Starter clicks in and again starter moter just spins, and when turned by hand I get the clunk that the starter has disengaged.
have taken starter off to day and bench tested it by crossing the terminals and all seems to be fine, cog throws out and starter turns, cog shoots back in when disengaged.........any ideas ????

 

[rocket1968]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

I am sure there will be better replies than mine, but it sounds like an alignment problem or the starter is not engaging all the way. Sometimes a bench test will not discover these. If it was me I would confirm I have the correct starter, reinstall and make darn sure it is aligned properly and torqued correctly. If this doesnt work, go buy another one, try it and if it doesnt work, return it. This should isolate if it is the starter. (I always have a spare starter motor for my boat) I can swap in roughly 20 minutes and it prevents a day of fun from stalling at the pier.

 

[bomar76]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

Did you buy new bolts?
Are they the correct special knurled bolts?

 

[PINESOL]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

what kind of starter did you buy?
did you verify that it was the same as your old one?
if indeed it has been working for the two months you have had it, i would say get a new one you have a faulty armature ..
it may also just be an aligment issue like rocket1968 said .

 

[Coors]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

Is it getting 12.5 volts?

 

[Don S]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

I have found a lot of the cheap aftermarket starters just don't fit right. May need some starter shims. Never, ever, had that problem with OEM starters.
Head to your local auto parts store and ask for some chevy starter shims. They have them for offset and straight across bolt patterns.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

It sounds like the bendix has gone bad. This would certainly almost need to be the case if the starter used to work - even for a few times. Unless there was damage to the flywheel that you missed.

 

[neilmw]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

It sounds like the bendix has gone bad. This would certainly almost need to be the case if the starter used to work - even for a few times. Unless there was damage to the flywheel that you missed.

Thanks for all the help, what does the bendix do ?
think I will replace it and see what happens

 

[JustJason]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

how did you check your electrical connections??? You need to do a visual check and also check for a voltage drop with a multimeter.....
I've replace so many starters and positive cables in pairs....
and i've seen so many new starters go bad because they were limping along on bad cables....

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

starter just clicks in and starter motor spins but doesnt turn engine

If I'm understanding your description of the problem correctly, when you engage the starter it will "kick out" into the flywheel, and the starter motor spins or runs, but the engine doesn't turn... correct? The part that kicks out is the bendix. It can strip internally and in turn, not spin the engine.

Bottom line, if your starter motor is spinning and the engine is not, you only have a few reasons:
1. Wrong starter that doesn't engage the flywheel. (But if your starter used to work, then that would rule out that possibility).

2. Broken teeth on the flywheel.

3. Stripped bendix gear.

I vote for number three.

While it is possible to buy just the bendix, most people just replace the starter. "Back in the day" it was common to replace things like the solenoid, or bendix, or brushes, etc. Today most just get a new one.

 

[neilmw]

Re: Help with starter problem please

Re: Help with starter problem please

i reckon you were spot on with number 3.......new starter works fine and turns the engine over great.
Many thanks

 

[Silvertip]

Re: **fixed**Help with starter motor problem please

My two cents says there are two or three problems. 1) Bendix is shot, 2) starter needs shimming, 3) wrong starter. The bendix is shot and won't spin the engine since misalignment/lack of shimming caused it to stick in the flywheel. You don't need to grease the flywheel as the first run at 4500 RPM will have all of that grease spread all over inside the bellhousing. Proper shimming takes care of pinion depth that is too tight. If the engine did turn over a few times the ugly noise it makes is a good clue this is the issue. Starter rebuilding shops bead blast the mounting surface of starters. Over time and repeated rebuilding, those surfaces lose tolerances which places the pinion deeper in the flywheel. I'm surprised the starter didn't have a shim in the box. Normally there are two for auto equivalents. Since the 4.3 has been around since 1985 in auto applications the starter housing you have may have been through the rebuild process many times.