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Charlane · Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 50 Location: San Antonio, TX

And then starts the car. The car starts fine, with the exception of a few vacuum leaks but otherwise, this spinning of the starter without engaging is strange and annoying. It sounds like the gears aren't making contact the first or even second time and then it does but THESE ARE GEARS so that doesn't make sense to me. The gears aren't exactly dynamic like that. Thanks in advance.
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Min · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:25 am Post subject:

Sounds like a sticky starter solenoid, if the solenoid doesn't move the starter gear forward into the flywheel ringgear, the starter will just spin.

Min
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Ozzie · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:50 am Post subject:

Min is right.
The gear on the starter moves to engage the flywheel teeth.
This is done by the solenoid.
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Smoothie · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 8:41 am Post subject:

What's weird though is the part of the solenoid that pulls in (piston, armature, whatever you want to call it), first levers out the starters' gear to engage with the flywheels' ring gear, then at the end of its' travel it closes the switch to activate the starter motor. (If the starter motor is being activated, the solenoid should have already levered out the gear - that happens before the switch is closed.) -So it seems the solenoid is functioning correctly and the problem is actually with part of the starter itself (specifically the "Bendix").
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Min · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:00 pm Post subject:

I'd suggest pulling the starter out and benchtesting it. I agree with smoothies diagnosis, If the solenoid isn't working, the starter itself wouldn't engage. I thought about that after I posted the first time.

Min
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Custom means it didn't come from a box.
1980 n/a with EDIS and Megasquirt II Injection. 7 different colors and counting.

924RACR · Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 10:52 pm Post subject:

The bendix drive may need greasing... remove, clean, and grease/check for proper motion...
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