Changed Belts - Now starter won't engage

dugcat11 · 07-06-2004, 06:07 AM

Yep, I FINALLY found the time and mental energy to change my camshaft/balance shaft belts (along with the P/S and A/C belts).

After working through the Clark's garage instructions and occassionally referencing the Haynes manual, I've got her put back together. Unfortunately, when I tried to start the lass, the starter sounds like it is spinning but not engaging.

When I get back home tonight I plan to remove and re-install the starter but I was hoping someone here could steer my efforts.

Any ideas?

Kind Regards,

DL

singpilot · 07-06-2004, 11:23 AM

On top of the starter is the solenoid that drives the pinion into the ring gear on the crank.

It sounds like it has failed. If you are good at that kind of thing, you CAN change just the solenoid. You will have to find a specialty starter shop to get the parts, most places will carry only the complete starter.

If you wanted to verify prior to pulling it, take the wooden handle of a hammer and 'malletize' the starter, then crank. Beware the wires around the starter, they are fragile and hi-amperage. It may work again for a while, but is telling you that it is failing.

Let us know how it turns out.

dugcat11 · 07-06-2004, 12:24 PM

Thanks for the post. One other bit of information is that one of the bolts attaching the starter to the bell housing does not tighten - just gets close and then spins in the hole ... I'm thinking I must have somehow reversed them (DOH!) as I don't believe I could have stripped it.

Weird since the two bolts differ in size - one is longer than the other and I thought I had taken that into account as I put them in. Well, by then my mind was fried after dealing with all of the belt tension measuring brain damage.

Btw, I used an Optibelt kricket clone for measuring belt tension. Can't say it gives the most consistent of measurements. I'm planning on having my work checked by a local shop to verify the tension (once I've got her started).

TCMdocs944 · 07-06-2004, 01:10 PM

Theres your problem.....Starter is probably fine (if it was before disassembly).

It is probably just not engaging the flywheel. It may have been seated intitially but shifted when you cranked it.

You may have to pull the starter, hang it out of the way, then check to see if that bolt hole is actually stripped or if you just have them switched.

singpilot · 07-06-2004, 01:23 PM

Yep, I agree. I usually do not remove the starter to do the belts. I know, I know, the flywheel lock controversy.

If the starter was removed to do the belts and now it doesn't work, that IS the culprit. It is a beotch to do in the first place all by itself.

What TCMdocs944 said.

AFJuvat · 07-06-2004, 10:45 PM

Switch the bolts around and try again

AFJuvat

dugcat11 · 07-07-2004, 10:29 AM

OK. Last night I removed the starter and sure enough, I had stripped the starter bolt area. I must have been asleep when I did this as I have no recollection of even remotely using enough force to strip it ...

Anyhow, put in a different starter (I could have retapped the existing one but time pressures ... yadda yadda) and she started right up. Well, not quite as I initially attached the ignition wire in a way that shorted the current across the two posts so when I hooked up my battery, the starter kicked in - yikes. Fixed that and now she starts and runs great. Btw, the new starter is much smaller and lighter than my old one and has a 951 part number on it.

Engine runs MUCH smoother than before as it appeared that my balance shafts AND camshaft were not all set to TDC correctly by the PO.

SUCCESS!!!

Thanks to all who posted with advice.

Regards,

DL

TCMdocs944 · 07-08-2004, 11:04 AM

AAhhhhh,

Another happy ending.

Congrats.