I’m not following this logic either. I agree with Alan here. Turn it by hand to make sure all is good.

All feels good turning by hand. I'm going to remove the starter and see if there is a sad spot on the starter ring.

What's a bit baffling is that with the plugs in, the starter will hit zing spots, but with all the plugs removed, it doesn't? All it has is the funny sounding spot.

I'm far far from an expert, but I wonder if the starter got too hot and now it doesn't pop out quite as far to stay engaged when cranking over? If there is a ****ty spot on the starter ring, it is likely from a few attempts at starting it after I let the starter cool.

To Jon's point, i think I will check for voltage drop at the coils after I clean up all the plugs. It has a brand new battery so I think that is ruled out.

Agree - no use in this case. Maybe if a bent valve - but hydraulicing unlikely to do that.
Alan

So those 2 hole semi circular pieces at the CV are called moon plates. Learned a new part name!

If the solenoid isn't engaging as well when the starter is under load, the big yellow starter wire could be an issue - if it still follows the factory routing all the way from the ignition switch, past the starter, to the engine, and back again....... since you don't have any need for the power it provided to various CIS kludges you could snip it off mid-route and put it directly to the starter. Or it could have a poor connection somewhere. It does also point to (perhaps) a voltage drop issue.

Triple check the ground strap to chassis connection. Clean and tight. Same goes for the battery end.

A fully and freshly charged battery is a good idea at this point even if it's new.

One way to rule out voltage drops is to put the battery on a charger while you're cranking it.
The charger will provide enough voltage to compensate for the natural voltage drop associated with cranking.

It's also worth noting that I'm pretty sure the rear wiper is inop during cranking. So using its power source for ignition may never start the car. (Not all switched power sources have power during cranking.)

As for the despair of long-term build setbacks...

We all have them. I generally take a break from the project until I feel better. Like emotionally refreshed.
Then, I start with small projects I know I'll succeed at. Build a little momentum, and I'm back up to speed in no time. It's incredible what a little time to reflect and relax can do. Plus it provides time for the Pelican Brain Trust to offer some perspectives/possibilities/reassurances.

Thanks all.

I think next steps will be to finish up some stuff in the frunk so I have less random wires.

I had held off on reinstalling the wipers etc., but I think it would be good to get more momentum and cross stuff off the list.

Let the back end of the car chill out for a bit...

I love this thread and we all feel your pain.

One of my most memorable car fixin' moments came when I was elbow deep into repairing my Landcruiser to the point where it would never run again unless I fixed it or had it towed to a mechanic with a box full of parts and a red face.

It took me a few days of determined, "this thing won't beat me", "I could never stand the embarrassment", moments to hunker down and get it right.

I learned some valuable lessons. Take your time, quit working when you start to get tired or frustrated and ask for help. You'll get there.

A starter spinning an engine with no compression vs one with plugs in is a big difference in load. They are going to behave as two completely different scenarios.

That's what I was thinking.

I still have my old OEM starter. I'm guessing the new imi starter got hot and doesn't fully extend under load.

Not sure if that is plausible, but maybe?

Must be about time for an update? Hope things are looking a little brighter!

Need some Mickey update pics pls. :)

Not a ton to report. I did get the headlights mounted and started bolting up the smile.

The starter gear does not extend like 'normal' starters. The solenoid throws a lever which shunts it out. I doubt there is a tight spot on the starter gears (not impossible, but not the most likely place to look).
I would be looking at the high load electrics first. If it is straining, then each compression hump is going to look like a tight spot. I have my fingers crossed you don't have a major issue. Thats where my money is anyway. Tidy up some other stuff and come back to it later - as others have said. Often a fresh look at a problem gets to the answer.
Alan

Thanks Alan, that's my thought as well. Right now I'm going to focus on everything except for starting the engine.

I should be able to make some progress this weekend, then it will be laying low until first week of May after personal tax season (in Canada) is done.

Small Update. April 30 (tax filing deadline) was on Saturday, so deadline became Monday.

Celebrated with my staff a bit too hard so Tuesday was a write-off.

Wednesday I drained the oil and started the process of dropping the engine to investigate status of starter ring gear.

Rest of Wednesday was packing for a family trip to Mexico.

Plan is to investigate starter gear, ensure plenty of volts to ignition system the sort the rest of the wiring. Multiple wiring questions coming this weekend...

Until then, I'll have to male do with my current non-Porsche view.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652125442.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652125442.jpg

You must have got a bigger refund than me!!

JK. I know you've been hard at it. Enjoy the reward! Looking forward to helping from afar with the Project when you are back.

Made some progress today. I got my fuel pump wiring sorted out and figured out I was missing the power window relay harness, so I ordered up a new harness and a pair of new relays from RD.

Next, I dropped the motor and transmission and removed the starter. I took a peak at the the starter gear, and as I suspected, it didn't look great.

Separated the trans from the engine and saw the damage in all its glory.

Here's my theory on what took place. When the engine hydro locked, the high torque IMI starter took out its frustration on the poor starter ring, either bending or knocking off a tooth. The problem just got worse, and the clunking sound I heard when cranking was the starter gear contacting the inside of the transmission.

Sucks to have to replace parts, but the upside is there isn't major carnage. I'm thinking of double checking the cam timing while the engine is out just in case that's why it didn't fire.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652571119.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652571119.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652571119.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652571119.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652571119.jpg

Welcome back!