The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 1955 6 cyl. foot pedal starter?

Well here lately my ol 55' starter has not been working properly. I have a well charged up 12 volt battery, but as I step down on the pedal to start the engine it only winds a bit but does not engage the flywheel to start the engine. I have looked in my shop manual, and it doesn't really cover much of this here type of starter operation. Now any other time it would most likely be the solenoid or bendix but how would I determine what my problem is here. The pedal bracket that runs across the back of the bell housing is all tight. Anyway need a little bail out here Bolters. Thank you....... What years starter will fit my 55' say 1955' to 1962?

OK- - - -so the starter armature spins, but the flywheel doesn't, right? You're going to need to do a little more troubleshooting, as there are two very different situations that can cause the problem. The starter drive has a one-way clutch built into it that can fail, allowing the starter shaft to spin with the drive gear engaged into the flywheel ring gear, but not turn the engine. The other possibility is worn linkage pivot points that allow the starter armature to begin turning before the gear gets to the flywheel. Does the starter grind occasionally? Or, does the engine start normally on occasion?

Take the sheet metal cover off the bottom of the flywheel, shine a bright light up toward the starter, and have someone step on the start pedal. You should be able to see if the gears are meshing properly. If so, and the engine doesn't turn, replace the starter drive.
Jerry

Well I want to thank you there Hotrod for your for reply. Rather than checking the starter as you mentioned with that there flash light, I just went ahead bought through NAPA auto parts, it come out of Dallas Texas, and wow does it have some torque. I mean with the starter being started with my foot, I can bearly get it off the pedal fast enough before the engine starts. I do have one problem with it though, it feels like it is meshing way to far into the flywheel, so what I did is backed off the bolt and nut that holds the starter on and it seems to not give that deep meshing sound. Maybe I should have checked out the end play first, but I felt like being a rebuilt by Wilson it should have been good.I don't know?

I’m confused! So you replaced the starter. Did you adjust the foot pedal so the flywheel and starter gear didn’t mesh as much? If so, how did that work, wouldn’t you need to shim your starter?

Very confused at your description.

Chris

There's a sneaky little trick to get the starter motor to begin turning a little sooner, rather than loosening the starter on the bellhousing. That can cause the snout to break off the starter. A plastic screw cap from a Coke bottle is just the right size to slip over the switch plunger and that little bit of extra thickness will make the armature spin before the linkage bottoms out and jams the pinion into the flywheel teeth. Try it- - - - -it works!
Jerry

Dam Hotrod where in the heck did you find that there little coke bottle trick. It actually works, even though I found a plastic cap off a tube I had laying around and it really works. I don't really understand the theary behind it? Hey if it wouldn't for you half my junk and everybody elses wouldn't be running. Just kiddin? thanks a lot, and you have a good 1.

Not as clever (and nice) as using a plastic screw cab:
- cut off a small length of garden hose
- then, cut it lengthwise (1-2" length
- then "wrap" it over the the starter "button"

We did this back when bottle caps were all metal (and, they were not very "deep").
I learnt this from the good old boys at NAPA.