Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

When I step on the starter it just hums.Will not turn the engine over.Replaced the starter with a rebuilt one same problem.Bench tested it and it works fine.I'm scatching my head.Any ideas?
ThankS
Tom

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Did you use the same Bendix on the second starter?

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Have you tried using the hand crank?

Charlie Stephens

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

low voltage battery,or ground

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

IF temperature is below 40 or so AND the bendix was greased instead of light oil (think "3 In One Oil") it will not engage and just spin starter.

The thicker the grease the higher the temperature!

1. Clean grease off with solvent.

2. Blow dry.

3. Oil with light oil.

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

It's a little hard to "diagnose at a distance" however, if it won't engage with the flywheel, you an bet on the the problem being with the Bendix. When you say, "it worked perectly when you had it out of the car and tried it, did the Bendix move on it's shaft to engage the flywheel and return? Is it free? Because of a bad experience I had many years ago with grease , oil and a stuck Bendix, I prefer to oil it and wipe ALL the oil off till it's almost dry, or even dry. It's the most natural thing to lubricate! It seems to cry out for grease or oil. Don't do it! Even light oils can stop it from sliding. Generally speaking, a Bendix doesn't require any maintenance beyond checking the 3/8 bolts that secure it to the shaft. These are sometimes a problem.
Terry

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

As mentioned, can you turn the engine by hand?
And also what’s your battery.voltage? At rest and when starters engaged.

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

I was always taught that the Bendix screw shaft should be totally dry. Any lubrication will just slow down the gear moving down the screw. Seems counter-intuitive, but it's worked for me for 60 years!! I've never seen a Bendix drive that was worn in that area.

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Sounds like a poor ground to the engine.

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Are you missing teeth on the ring gear??
Paul in CT

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Same here . I have also found that it is best not to use any lubrication on the helix of the Bendix . I once sprayed WD 40 on the Bendix of our 31 tudor . It was winter and the sedan cranked fine the first time . I drove to the nearest gas station and gassed up . When I got ready to leave , the sedan wouldn't start. The Bendix wouldn't engage, the starter motor would just spin . Its a good thing that I had a hand crank under the seat . When I got back to the shop , I removed the starter and washed the starter drive in lacquer thinner to remove any traces of oil and all was well .

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

I would check the ground. If the ground is bad you will have the problems you indicated. Run a jumper cable from the battery to the frame and see if the starter motor will turn over.

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

So it does not know the words ?

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

And the starter bolts are correct, not too long?

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Come on! Come on! Drat Please Start!

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Starter motor.
I too had that problem however the reason may well have been different. I was running a 6V starter in a 12v conversion and was concerned about the severe impact that was made on engagement. I converted the starter to12V by changing the field coils. It made 1 start and I was delighted at the moderate even gentle engagement. That was it, the only start I got. I removed the starter and figured the bendix had become jammed too tightly in the home position.So had it ground plus put steel spacer washers on shaft to prevent it going all the way home and jamming. Again got 1 start. I then figured the double voltage had caused the armature to spin so fast that this situation didn’t develop. I am now about to change the armature for a 5/8 shaft with a new bendix retaining my new field coils.
There is a new type of starter which costs about the same as I’ve spent so far and mostly wasted. I did not know of it when all of this started. Pun unintentional.

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Good grief, since the starter ran on the bench, the next point to check is the engine. Is it locked up or extremely tight. Push in 3rd gear, key off.

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

I would think that if two different starters both spin outside the car and than again in the car but do not engage the flywheel. Your bendix is mostlikely the first place to check. They do need replacing from time to time.

Only three things could be wrong, starter, bendix, or flywheel teeth. If you crank the engine over just a bit, it will move the flywheel to a different set of teeth. Than try to start car.

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

Totally unrelated I know, but I had a similar issue with my Cub Cadet. The battery tested good and had 13.7 volts but the starter drive wouldn't engage (starter would spin). Mine also worked ok on the bench. This had been an on and off issue for several months so last week I decided to fix it. I thought I'd start with a new battery before ordering a new starter and presto, it starts like it did when new. You may just have a bad battery even if it reads good voltage. Maybe worth trying a different battery if your grounds are good.



TerryO

Re: Starter hums will not turn engine over.
 

[QUOTE=Gary WA;1716550]low voltage battery,or ground[/QUOTE


I second this!