Solve bad starter (with sound bite)
 

Battery tested good at AutoZone.
Rocked car in 3rd gear to see if starter gear would mesh - no help.
Car does push start - no problem. But still won't start with ignition switch.
Tapped solenoid with hammer - no help.

This is what it sounds like.

One last, possibly unrelated clue: When I first got the car in April 2002 it cranked on every turn of the ignition switch. About 4 months ago it sometimes wouldn't crank on the first turn, so I would have to turn it off and repeat. Usually it would crank on the second turn. Within in the last few weeks, sometimes I would have to turn it three to four times before the starter engaged.

Please help if you can. I hoping the sound bite will give better definition to this problem.

My next best guesses - wiring to starter is weak, solenoid needs cleaning, grounding strap is weak, stripped starter gear, bad starter.

They can bench test starters...have you tried shorting the posts with a WELL insulated BFScrewdriver? If it does not start that way...probably the starter.

But there is a chance it is the igniton switch if it spins when doing the screwdriver trick.....

Sounds to me like the motor is turning without the gear. I would definitely pull the starter and have it checked out.

Steve

"A Porsche does more then just go fast in a straight line"

Mikez, it looks like I will have to pull the starter out at get it tested at AutoZone. Can you expand on how the ignition switch may be bad?

Stormcrow, that's what I think it sounds like. Unfortunately that could mean dropping the engine to fix it, right?

Either way, it looks like I have a project for this Saturday.

Sounds like the bendix is bad causing the gear to not slide into mesh with the ring gear. Replace the starter. ;)

AQB, good to hear from you again. It sounds like you know what you are talking about...bendix, gear, mesh, ring gear. I guess tapping the solenoid with a hammer isn't going to fix this problem :(.

the switch can be worn out,,,,typical in 356s and 914s,,,,heard about them going in the 911s too....

LOL ;) Yes the starter gear slides on a shaft to engage the flywheel ringgear when you apply power to the starter, the bendix is what causes the gear to slide and if it gets hung up this is what happens. Even if you were to teardown the starter and fix it chances are something else will go wrong with it and leave you stranded.

EDIT: I am correct that I can hear the starter turning in your sound clip right? or is the whirling noise something else?

AQB, the whriling sound is coming from the area of the starter. My best guess is that the sound is coming from the starter. I plan to take it out this Saturday and get it tested. If I can fix it great (I can always push start the car), but if not, I'll get a brand new one. Thanks.

sounds like the gear is spinning without the bendix engageing.. after removal you can confirm if the bendix works.. If it is a relatively new starter I'd try an internal clean up.. I don't like Bosh starter sol.. like they almost need periodic maintance.. If it has 100k you can try a complete rebuild.. and great post.....Ron

Razor,

See if you can measure voltage at the starter. Your assumptions were a good place to start. It could be the wiring from battery to starter. I have heard the same sound when there wasn't enough power coming from the battery to activate the bendix.

My two cents (CDN)

yep, a serious consideration.. even good starter connections can still show low voltage.. a starter switch can become a PIA.. especiall after 100k miles.. but a direct jump from the starter big lug will give more info..........Ron

The final results are in...
 

To start with, the bendix was bad. That's the sound you hear.

Next, when Autozone tested the starter, they fused the solenoid connection.

The good news is that the new high torque starter worked. So it wasn't a combination of things, just the starter.

BTW, it's a lot easier to work with the new, smaller, lighter weight starter than it was with the old broken starter.

I followed this article .