The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay starter just spins

Starter spins but does not engage to turn eng. over...had starter checked (good)..now what? Virg

Virg,

This must be a stomp starter on your old truck, right! The starter can be fine electrically, but the starter drive can be busted mechanically.

If your linkage is tight enough to cause the starter switch to make contact, the mechanicals are probably engaging the starter drive to ring gear. The fly in the ointment would be the little internal clutch in the drive itself. This is most likely gunny-bagged.

A new starter drive would probably cure the problem.

Stuart

If you have a typical GM starter with an overrunning clutch, the clutch is slipping. A no-load test on the starter won't find that condition. The clutch can be replaced, but you should also replace the shifting fork- depending on the starter. If the starter is the Bendix drive type, usually not a GM application, the Bendix spring is broken, or the anchor bolt has come out. I would suggest taking the starter to a rebuilder to have the work done. You will get a better job that includes replacing brushes, bushings and thrust pad, and turning the commutator.

Harvester

I was trying to get it to turn over from under the hood and just pushing on the button on the starter....I got in the cab and pushed on the foot starter and it turned over...I put a new battery in also so now I'm just trying to get it to fire...prob. hasn't been started for a couple of yrs...thanks for the input...Virg

THERE IS YOUR PROBLEM!!! The linkage not only pushes the button, it also engages it too!

My finger pushed the button and it just spun...my foot pushed the pedal in the cab and it worked...

Yeah, just like I said, the linkage from the pedal to the starter engages the drive into the flywheel, but the button completes the circuit and makes it spin, so even if you push the button, the engine won't turn over unless you pulled down on the linkage.

Isn't it great to have this old stuff?

actually JD [and AD], the starter gear is mechanically engaged by the foot push, via an internal yoke in the nose assembly, the electrical connection only causes the starter to spin .... sounds like you need to get on with tearing some of this stuff apart and refurbishing it instead of buzzing around abusing it further .... quit playing with the toy and start building the truck - takes thought and effort, not money

Bill

60 year old anti-theft technology.

Geez, Red58, looks like YOU need to read closer. I TOLD HIM TWICE that the electrical connection only spins it and the linkage engages it.(or the yoke or whatever it is) I HAVE taken my starter apart because it stopped working. I'm not yelling on my end over here but trying to get MY point across!

OK JD, sorry, I was reacting to ADs [removed] post, just pointing out it's a mechanical problem ....

Bill

Ok, Sorry myself. I was trying to find ADs post, never saw it, just went on with my business. Didn't know why I was included, I felt kinda confused( a little upset) when you said that, but if you were just talking to him, it's fine and dandy!

yeah, fine - I was including you so you weren't mislead as to the actual operation of the starter .... guess AD decided he didn't want to be in the thread any more, not without precedent

Bill

If you want to turn the engine over from under the hood, just use a big screwdriver between the linkage and the firewall to lever it down. That engages the starter pinion before the button gets pushed.
Jerry

Yes to Hotrod Lincoln's suggestion. I've done that many times- that is the only way to do a compression check on those engines without having someone inside to push on the starter button.

Harvester