The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Starter Not Engaging 1948 216

I have everything ready to test start my engine and it seems the starter is not engaging the flywheel.

I know this has sat for 15 years in a garage and think the clutch on the starter may be the issue.

for small money I can get this from Napa - will this one work?
Napa Starter

Looks identical

Geez...so sometimes I just need to talk through it and figure it out on my own.

The stomper is not the original and there is a bolt behind it that hits the bellhousing. So I would hit the button on the starter and not use the lever.

I see the Lever is what is pushing the starter gear into the flywheel - so by me bypassing the lever and hitting only the button I am only spinning the gear.

Will try this after work. And of course need to get the stomper back to the original....good stuff!

It sounds like your on the right track.

I was able to get the engine to turn over - but it did seem to struggle a bit - I can turn the flywheel by hand.

Now it will not turn over at all.

To the novice (me) it seems the starter was weak and now it is burnt out completly - is that possible?

Take a cable from the battery to the starter. A large cable #1 or #0. If it spins its not the starter its the switch. On mine the starter would spin but the bendix gear internals were shot,

it will spin - just not turn the engine -

Then replace the gear and spring assembly (bendix gear) that engages the ring gear on the fly wheel. The other possibility is the ring gear is worn so badly the teeth won't engage. You can try and crank the engine about 90 degree by hand and try again. Most likely the starter gear that engages the fly wheel ring gear is bad. Mine was doing the same thing. Replaced the bendix gear assembly and it works fine. You just have to remove the starter and take off the wishbone assembly from the stomp starter.

So I have no transmission in the Truck - is it a no-no to try and test the engine without a transmission in.

again I can turn the engine by had easily

It's okay to start and run the engine without a trans. No problem. Is the clutch still intact? Is the engine in the truck, or on a stand? I had a similar problem with mine only the opposite: I could push the foot button (stomper) down far enough to engage the starter gear but not enough to press the button on the switch far enough to make contact.
Give it a try. Good luck!

So I did get it to crank over - seems the braided ground was not getting good contact (epoxy frame) so I took it off took my grinder out to get good bare metal and works like a charm....the gas is in the filter - just not getting spark now.

I have 16 gage wire from the + Battery to the keyed ignition.
Then from the ignition to an ignition Resister.
The resister to the + on the coil.
The - coil to the distributor


Checked all this with a meter and getting juice with the key on.

In the AM I will check the points and rotor.

Even if I missed TDC on the #1 plug I should still have spark

BScowboy,

The link to a starter in your first post is to NAPA 6v starter. Presumably, you have a 6v electrical system. You do not need an ignition resistor (ballast resistor) in a 6v system.

Of course, a 6v starter can be used in a 12v electrical system (that starter lasts longer if used with a flywheel off a 6v truck).

If you have a 12v system, you do need the ballast resistor, but it is possible to wire the ignition so that the full 12v goes to the coil while cranking the starter, and then the ballast resistor does it job when the engine starts.

Is your truck 12v or 6v?

Don't take this as fact but I don't think there should be a resistor between the switch and ballast. You should get 6 or 12V to the coil depending on what voltage you are running.

Got it started - changed the wire to 10gage and new points and condenser - did the trick

Congrats