The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Starter ???

On a 56 ,6 cyl foot starter, I have to press it 3-4 times before it ingauges(it just spins) would a new (rebuilt) starter correct this??

You need a new starter drive (the part with the gear), not the whole starter. Most of the online vendors and local parts stores like NAPA should have the right one in stock. The 56 should have the 12 volt starter with an armature shaft about 1/2" I'm diameter.
Jerry

Possible you have some worn teeth on your flywheel that won't engage the Bendix. If the starter spins that would indicate the motor is good. With a foot starter the Bendix is mechanically engaged and since the starter spins the linkage would seem to be good. Only other part is the Bendix itself and that would not be an intermittent problem. Drop the inspection cover and check the flywheel teeth.

Thanks for the advice.

With some help from an oven and a freezer the flywheel gear ring can be easily replaced.

Hope you are looking at this problem with the naked eye. You need to see what is going on with a bright light. Operate the linkage from under hood with a piece of wood to see what the pinion gear is doing. Maybe just worn/bent linkage.

Worn flywheel teeth don't make the starter spin without engaging- - - -they cause a horrendous grind. There is no such thing as a "Bendix" on GM starters. They use a sliding starter drive with a one-way clutch, not a ratcheting inertial gear like Bendix used on Ford and Mopar starters.
Jerry

The flywheel teeth look ok.(didn't expect perfect) Will check for bent,worn linkage,thanks to all.

Just see if she slaps in there tight to the flywheel. Battery disconnected. The only small problem is, you can't see in there.

Look up into the bellhousing with the bottom sheet metal off the flywheel while somebody else pushes the start pedal (battery disconnected).

Pulled inspection cover,wife hit starter button,it appears to go all the way in.

Ideally, you would want to see it with battery connected. That could be dangerous without proper precautions. On a lift is safest way to observe what happens when it spins with no engagement. As Jerry says, if it spins it is not "slipping" on teeth. It seems like the starter drive is not fully engaging. A visual will confirm that when it spins, it's just not engaging the flywheel.

If unable to observe with live power, you will have to take off starter and take to the bench and test....or replace drive (Rockauto 9 tooth: $10 and up) and reinstall to see any change. Inspect flywheel teeth all the way around so as to eliminate it. If it's beyond your expertise to replace starter drive, buy a whole rebuilt starter ($160 Classic Chevy Trucks) if flywheel and linkage are OK. Buy the parts wherever you want.
Be sure you understand how the foot stomp works. Be sure that a sloppy pivot or link is not working sometimes and then aligns and works other times.

1. What does it do when it does not engage? Spins, growls, grinds, clicks, spins fast? Tries to start truck then gear pops out?
2. What does it do when it engages? starts truck right up and disengages without grinding? after-start grinding/spinning?
3. Any slap happy noises from foot start mechanism? You DID NOT say what you found by examining the foot stomp mechanism from above (battery disconnected)
4. Does the foot start mechanism still have it's return spring attached. (not talking about starter drive spring).
5. Can you see a starter drive spring on starter shaft next to pinion gear?
6. Can you see if pinion gear teeth are OK except for a lead in chamfer on it's edge?
7. This takes grunt, sweat and tears to examine all this. Flashlights, mirrors and fingers.
8. When checking with live battery, you must pull center dizzy tower wire so that motor won't start.

The problem that's being described (read the original post) is a very common one to anyone with experience with rebuilding GM starters. The one way roller clutch in the drive develops flat spots on the hardened steel rollers that allow the shaft to spin in both directions. Eventually after several attempts at starting, one or more of the rollers turns enough to let the gear engage and turn the flywheel.

Just replace the starter drive and quit over-thinking this one. It's an easy fix.
Jerry

Replace the starter drive makes the most sense to me. Thanks to all.

The generator/starter rebuilder that I used in NY, replaced the starter drive as SOP.