The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop New Starter, wont start

Hi,
Mu 1965 Chevy c10 was having issues starting and the starter went out completely. It does have a newer gm 350 in it. I bought a brand new starter and put it in myself. All the wires are connected correctly and it is bulted in place perfectly. Now when i go to turn the key the starter comes on and tries to start, i even hear the gears hitting trying to start. For some reason though now it just wont start at all. The engine bumps each time but not enough to get it going. Anyone hear of anything like this happenning?

Anyone know of anyway else to start up a engine without using the starter??

if the starter won't turn the engine, it ain't gonna start!
what were the 'issues' originally?
did you also replace the solenoid?
have you had the battery load checked or tried it with another battery?
have a good ground directly to the engine?
does it actully try to turn over, or do you just hear the 'chunk' of the bendix hitting the flywheel?

Bill
oh - also, if you go to your profile and add a "/" in the [ url] your sig line will be what you wanted ...

Hy guys, is this the type of starter that bolts to the bellhousing, or the engine block? If it bolts to the block, it may require some shims between the engine block and the starter, hope that helps.

Thanks for the response. I hear the 'chunk' of the bendix hitting the flywheel and i feel the motor bumping, besides that nothing happens. Before the starter went out it would start but had problems starting in the cold. This is a starter that bolts onto the block itself. Also the starter on this engine has the solenoid built in it, it does not have a seperate peice.

Also need to mention that the battery is new and has plenty of cranking power. Not sure what is going on.

remove, clean well, and retighten all grounds, if it doesn't have a ground direct from batt to engine, add one, preferably to one of the starter mount bolts - remove plugs, see if it'll turn it with no compression

Bill

Nathan 1965 Chevrolt c10,

I'm not clear on the problem yet. Does the starter turn the engine over fine, but it just won't start or will the starter not turn the engine over at all, sort of like it's bound up.

Where did you get your new (not rebuilt??) starter?

Stuart

It wont start, it actually will not turn the engine over at all. I can hear the gear on the starter trying to start it and the engine will bump a little but it does not turn over. I bought it brand new from Kragen.

My first guess is a bum starter...or a dead battery. A jump from a buddies truck would shed some light on the problem.


Stuart

I do have a battery charger and before trying to start it i charged the battery fully. I even tried spraying in some starter fluid and nothing would do the trick.

Hey folks Maybe the starter could be locked. Can the engine be turned over by hand or is the engine tight. If so then losen the starter, check and try again.

Hy Nathan 1965 c10, When you bought the starter, were there not instructions for checking the clearance between the flywheel and starter gear included, and there should have been some shims, just in case they were needed, it sounds to me like there is little or no clearance between the flywheel and the starter gear, hope that helps.

No, unfortunately i had brought the old starter in, they took that starter and put it in the new box, i never got any shims or instructions.

If all groubd's ans electric are ok I'd pull it back out,and the battery, take them to your local flaps and have it tested.I have em test any starter i get even from them as sometimes they are bad right out of the box.Tom

Could this be a "mesh" issue? I had the same problem when I put a 350 in a '59 a few years back. Went through 3 different starters (different part no.s) before I got one that would work. Make sure you have the correct year for your 350 and find a patient FLAPS counter man.

It sounds like the starter bendix is not meshing with the flywheel. You need to align the starter so that the two mesh. Shims are sometimes required and should have come in the box with the new starter. Check to see if they were there and if not ask the FLAPS about them.

Thank you very much, i will double check on the shims, if i don't have them, i dont think they gave me them, I will go get some and try that, thank u.

It could also be possible that the engine is stuck, like a hydrostatic lock. Check to see if you can turn the engine over by hand or with a bar/screwdriver in the flywheel teeth. Carb could flood out & fill up the cylinders, in this instance you don't want it to try to start as it will likely break something.
Fred

thanks u very much, I will try that tomorrow! I just got some shims and put them in tonight, I will try to start it tomorrow. If it doesn't start I am going to try it with the screw driver for sure or a bar. I was kinda thinking maybe it is locked up, I did try to turn it with my hand but it would not do anything. I will try, thanks

Ok, I went and took a quick look at the flywheel. I could not get it to budge by hand. I did stick a screw driver and pushed it, at first it was stiff but then it moved, I did it a few times and each time I did it it loosend up a little. I do know that during summer my truck started up like a dream and it was not until the cold that it started having problems. Can the cold make the flywheel stiffen up, if so is there some kind of lubrication stuff i can spray in there to fix that issue?

You should be able to turn the engine over several revolutions with a bar. The problem more than likely is not with the flywheel. Check the oil and look for signs of contamination, too much oil, gasoline, coolant. Remove the spark plugs and see how it turns over with a bar and the starter. See if it has any coolant or gas comming out of the plug holes. Check the plugs to see what they look like. You could have a head gasket leak which would fill up some cylinders.
Fred