Starter Problem/Question

[PodSquad48]

I went to start the car (48 Special Deluxe)today and no luck, just a "click". I tested the relay and there is power from there to the starter. I pulled the starter and it appears the pinion is stuck in the "forward" position. According to my manual "as the starting motor pedal (switch) is depressed, the starting motor pinion and clutch are moved toward the flywheel ring gear." Seems that my starter is stuck in the engaged position, what causes this and is it repairable? No parts houses locally have a replacement for me. Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated, thanks!

Edited April 10, 2010 by PodSquad48

[David Strieb]

Since you have it out, take it apart. Might be as simple as worn brushes, no grease on the shaft the bendix slides on, ( the part that slides ), a broken spring, or maybe it's just in a bind. Might try hooking it to some jumpercables. Be careful though, if all is good, the torque would make it move about. Are all your connections good, including your ground? Cable size makes a big difference with 6 volt also. I assume your battery is good. Don't know if this helps, good luck....also check the switch on top of the starter, maybe the contacts are bad.

[Joe Flanagan]

I would check for worn bushings. Mine were worn and when I tested it with a set of jumper cables, all it did was spin slowly. The clearance between the case and the armature is so small that when the bushings wear, the armature can make contact with the case and ground it out. Tim Adams suggested this might be my problem and he was right. I took it to a starter place and they tested it and said it was pulling a lot of amps. They wanted about 200 bucks to repair it. They were going to replace the brushes, the bushings, and the bendix drive. I did the repair myself and replaced the bushings and the brushes but not the bendix. I did clean and lubricate the bendix, though. If you take yours apart, look inside the case for signs that the armature has been rubbing against the case. Also check for play in the bushings. There are three, by the way, front, middle, and rear. My manual showed only two and the rebuild kit I ordered from Roberts only included two. I went someplace else for the third bushing. Turns out it was the middle one on mine that was the worst. I'd do those things and see what you get. Here are some pics of mine when I was taking it apart.

The screw that attaches the bendix is hidden under the spring. You have to push it out of the way to get access as shown here:

[Joe Flanagan]

I also wanted to say that it seemed like my pinion gear was stuck in the forward position also, but it wasn't. Apparently, it doesn't move very far to engage the flywheel. When I installed the starter, I believe the teeth of the pinion gear were engaged with the teeth of the flywheel. I just decided to leave it alone and see what happened. It was fine.