Starter spins, no engagement

[Mark McCombs]

After the worlds longest tub rebuild, I finally installed the dash, mounted restored wheels and new tires, changed the oil, backfilled the oil pressure line until I saw oil making its way out of the rockers....

All I needed to do was spin the engine with key off to check for oil pressure, but:

I have a fully charged battery but when I pull the started, the starter motor spins but no bendix engagement.

I turned the engine over with the crank, so no stuck issues...Could it be the starter contacts are corroded and only letting a bit of excitation thru?

Headlights look strong. Interestingly, my ignition light is only half bright and seems to take a few seconds to light. I have added a jumper cable ground to no effect...

Thanks for any thoughts.

[Duncan M]

First thought is are you using graphite dust as only lube for Bendix? That is what is usally suggested. Bendix usually will engage if spinning fast, unless there some dirt or gunked up oil on shaft where Bendix slides.

[Steve Simmons]

I agree, usually the bendix sticking is the issue. If it looks gunked up, try a bit of light oil to free it. That would get you by for a while until you can clean it properly. Or grab it gently with some pliers and spin, to see if it pops free. If the starter is spinning slower than normal or taking too long to reach full speed, then it's usually a ground issue.

[Mark McCombs]

Hi Duncan and Steve-

I tried to flick the bendix gear and yep, it was stuck...Suddenly it popped free and sure enough, there was some old very sticky light grease in the slides. I'll give a light toothbrush and Hoppes 9 treatment.

Thanks very much!