Car whines but doesn't crank!

stuntman703 · 11-07-2010, 05:48 PM

After going to and from class in the evening, I take a nap before work and come out to start my car; no go. My car just whines but no crank. I tried to jump the car, but nothing. I'm removing the starter and will bench test it to see if that's the problem. Any suggestions while I try to answer this problem.

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

Probably the starter solenoid. If you bench test the starter the pinion gear will spin but not extend.

Rjackel944 · Rjackel944's Garage

Mine did a similar thing the other day, but now its back to normal..
good luck.

stuntman703 · 11-07-2010, 06:36 PM

thanks, I'm hoping it's a simple stick. I tried popping the clutch but that didn't work to well (probably wasn't going fast enough). What's the whining noise, starter?

stuntman703 · 11-19-2010, 06:19 PM

Well reinstalled a new starter, recharged battery, and cleaned my grounds, still getting a whizzing noise and no crank.

wild man · 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuntman703

Well reinstalled a new starter, recharged battery, and cleaned my grounds, still getting a whizzing noise and no crank.

That would sting a bit, if it was me. New bad starter maybe? Sheared ring gear teeth possibly? Does it make a "clanking" sound (at the starter) when it's first engaged, or does it just go into a pure whizz, with no other sound?

stuntman703 · 11-20-2010, 03:25 PM

it's a pure whizzing sound just like, "zzzzzzzzzz," but no other motion or noise. I was thinking of ignition switch possible? Just to cross that off the list. Other than that I'm getting stumped

Vicious · 11-20-2010, 05:24 PM

if you can hear the starter turning then your most likely have a missing tooth on the ring gear. try pushing the car fwd or back with it in gear to move the position of the flywheel then try again

stuntman703 · 11-20-2010, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicious

if you can hear the starter turning then your most likely have a missing tooth on the ring gear. try pushing the car fwd or back with it in gear to move the position of the flywheel then try again

so leave it in first and just push it. Sounds simple enough.

wild man · 11-21-2010, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicious

if you can hear the starter turning then your most likely have a missing tooth on the ring gear. try pushing the car fwd or back with it in gear to move the position of the flywheel then try again

That does make sense. Even if the sound is pure whizz, the ignition, along with the bendix solenoid, HAS to be working in order to make the electrical contact required for the starter motor to spin.

stuntman703 · 11-21-2010, 01:45 PM

I pushed the car with it in gear and no luck. Just the whizzing noise. Possibly ignition switch? How come a bench test will cause a starter to work but not when it's installed. I love this car.

rmcdonnell · 11-21-2010, 05:02 PM

If the starter motor works and whizzes out of the car, and you've turned the motor over by pushing the car in gear so the teeth on the flywheel should have moved, then I think these are the possibilities:

Wrong starter motor model and dimensions
Not installed correctly in place, not fully home
No teeth left on the starter.
No teeth on the flywheel.
Something wrong with the starter allowing it to spin, before the gear is fully flung out.
Something very bizarre I haven't thought of.

cheers
Rissole.

stuntman703 · 11-21-2010, 05:15 PM

I did pull my ignition switch out and found a severe crack it. Hopefully that is my problem. The reason why I don't think it is a wrong starter is that I've had the same one previously and it worked fine, then it started humming, had it tested, was good (couldn't reinstall it because of the threads became stripped) so i had to have a new one. Thanks for all the advice, I'll keep updating, It'll take a few days from Pelican with the new part.

Vicious · 11-21-2010, 05:20 PM

puzzling indeed. i would verify all the teeth on the ring gear are there, remove the starter and have someone crank the engine over by hand and look for any missing. if all teeth are present next thing i would perform would be a compression test. compression checks out starter draw test, and the list goes on. teeth and compression are the major contributors to your condition though

stuntman703 · 11-21-2010, 06:23 PM

Okay, i'll check crank the engine over tomorrow after classes. What size socket do i need to crank the engine over?

wild man · 11-22-2010, 03:08 AM

Should be a 24. Keep in mind that these engines ARE hard for the starter to turn over. That's why you need to use a high amp battery.

stuntman703 · 11-22-2010, 09:05 AM

I def know these engines take a lot to turn over, I'm on my 3rd battery. Some how my second mysteriously got drained. But i had my 3rd one recharged plus a jumper box at 100% for exta amps.

stuntman703 · 11-24-2010, 05:14 PM

I installed the new ignition switch. I'm still getting a hum and not a crank. I guess next would be compression test. In this process, where does ignition coil play in?

Vicious · 11-24-2010, 08:36 PM

first fix your cranking issue, then adjust your concern to crank no start if it doesnt start once it begins cranking over. to perform the compression test the engine has to crank over, doing it by hand will yield inaccurate results. and begin praying that your engine isnt seized

stuntman703 · 11-25-2010, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicious

first fix your cranking issue, then adjust your concern to crank no start if it doesnt start once it begins cranking over. to perform the compression test the engine has to crank over, doing it by hand will yield inaccurate results. and begin praying that your engine isnt seized

your right, i'll first make my concern with cranking the car. still going to try and test a few more things.