stryped wrote:
I took that old techmseh apart his weekend. I had a question. It is
electric start and has never worked that I can remember. I could
always hear it spin when we tried to use it and assumed that teeth
were missing on the flywheel. But this wekend when I took it apart,
all the teeth were on both the pinion gear and the flywheel. When I
connected the starter to voltage, it spun. The problem seems to be
that the pinion gear is about half an inch or more from the flywheel
gear and the two never come in contact. Is the pinion gear on the
starter supposed to "move forward" when voltage is supplied to engage
the teeth? What could this problem be?


I knew someone who drove an older vehicle a state away and "had starter troubles" while
they were out there. Since the wife worked at an auto parts place they decided to wait
till they got back to NC to fix the starter. On the way back they'd always stop on a hill
as the vehicle was straight drive and easily started when rolled.

I went over as they were installing, uninstalling and testing the third or fourth starter.
It would always work on the ground but not on the vehicle. I think they were using
jumper cables to test it on the ground. I told him to clean his battery cables and then
put either one of them back on the car and try it again. It was only dirty battery cables.

You case does not sound like this same thing, but thought I'd pass it along. Very often
it is something far more simple than suspectd. A simple search for starter bendix turned
up the following from Gil's Garage:

"A problem you do not need unless you are at home with the car in the garage is to have
the starter bendix malfunction. When the ignition switch is placed in the start position
the starter spins at a high rate of speed, centrifugal force moves the spring loaded
bendix forward and engages the fly wheel teeth which turns the engine to initiate the start.

Usually the first indication of a malfunction is when you attempt to start the engine, the
starter spins with no load and sounds like an electric motor running (which it is). When
this happens the bendix spring or retainer washer on the end has usually broken.

I am not aware of any type of preventive maintenance for the bendix.I recommend changing
the it if the starter is replaced and avoid if possible accidentally engaging the starter
with the engine running. I also recommend carrying a spare when on a trip. The basic
FoMoCo part number is 11350 and is priced at about $35.00 at most parts dealers.

Gil"