The Ford Barn

jrd-28 · 05-07-2022, 03:34 PM

Hi folks. I'm piece by piece reassembling my '28 Tudor.

I bolted up enough to try cranking the engine today. Most everything worked, but I'm getting quite a bit of noise from the starter. Specifically, from the pinion gear engaging the ring gear. It sounds like a loud-ish clatter, and if I put a finger on the starter casing, I can feel impacts coming through the case.

My best guess is that somehow the pinion and ring aren't meshing correctly, but I don't see how that could be. The motor is tight, and runs smooth and strong on a bench. I don't see how the alignment could be off, everything's located by pins and machined flanges.

I did have the ring gear replaced when I had the flywheel ground to run true. Is there any possibility that somehow they used the wrong one?

Looking for ideas here. Any hints appreciated.

05-07-2022, 03:34 PM	#1
jrd-28 Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Stow Ma Posts: 84	Strange starter noise Hi folks. I'm piece by piece reassembling my '28 Tudor. I bolted up enough to try cranking the engine today. Most everything worked, but I'm getting quite a bit of noise from the starter. Specifically, from the pinion gear engaging the ring gear. It sounds like a loud-ish clatter, and if I put a finger on the starter casing, I can feel impacts coming through the case. My best guess is that somehow the pinion and ring aren't meshing correctly, but I don't see how that could be. The motor is tight, and runs smooth and strong on a bench. I don't see how the alignment could be off, everything's located by pins and machined flanges. I did have the ring gear replaced when I had the flywheel ground to run true. Is there any possibility that somehow they used the wrong one? Looking for ideas here. Any hints appreciated.