I have a flathead ford I'm trying to get to turn over on the starter. The starter turns under power but won't engage the flywheel. I pulled the starter out and now I'm baffled. What makes the gear slide forward to engage the flywheel ... the sudden spinning of the starter ??? I read in another post somehwere about the possibility of grease on the shaft binding things up. This didn't appear to be an issue but I soaked the thing with WD40 anyway and it freed things up more - so binding isn't the issue. There is a large spring-like thing on the end of the shaft - what is that? It looks to me like it only absorbs the shock when the starter gear is kicked back out by the flywheel. I've seen talk of a "Bendix" ... ok, what is that? When I'm ready to give it another shot, will trying this with a 12v battery kill it? Thanks guys ... new to Fords and particularly flatheads! Oh, and since there are many flavors, how do I identify "which" flathead I have?
Th key to making a 6 volt starter live on 12 volts is not to excessively crank on it. Heat is your enemy. The gear on that starter actually pulls in, not throws out. If the spring on the end is bad it will not throw in correctly. You can get new springs from Mac's. The bendix drive is actually a screw type shaft with gear. The gear actually rides up the "threads"of the shaft, this called a bendix style drive. GM uses a fork that pushes/pulls the gaer in and out of mesh. Mopar used a gear reduction style and this what most Oems now use. Hope this helps Matt
If it's a V8, all year starters are the same 32-53. If the starter spins nice and fast, but doesn't engage, it's probably a problem with the bendix. Rich
Hey Rich, I was thinking more along the line of what flathead that he has. bendix http://www.honestcharley.com/hot-rod-parts/flathead-ford-performance/bendix-drive-starter.html
the sudden acceleration of the armature and the inertia of the bendix makes it run up on the shaft to engage the flywheel. Dirt or oil on the parts will keep it from working. I'd take it out and lay it on the floor and attach jumper cables to it and see what it does.
Except for AT, all '32-53 221-239-255 interchange. The gear has a counterweight whose inertia when the shaft strats to spin screws it along the threads and moves it into engagement. If you can move it by hand and spring isn't broken...start by just cleaning the whole drive and screw threads thoroughly with spray carb cleaner, then see if it works. You can do a preliminary test run with starter on floor, nuts put onto ends of through bolts to prevent the thing from disassembling itself, and jumper cables to a battery. If it moves that way, test it in engine. Drive is available separately and can be replaced if no go.
There is a screw which anchors one end of the spring on the bendix, if the head of this screw shears off the starter will freewheel.
First of all there is no ignition system at present - just the relay and starter and I only want to get the engine to tiurn over (step 1). Second, I did slap on a 6v battery but it was borrowed so I'd like future tries to be with a 12v - which I have. Only to see if it works - then I'll consider the proper battery. This "spring" on the end ... it seems to be fixed to absorb shock as opposed to being there to to move anything - has a weird 2-bolt clamp setup to hold it in place. The inertia of the spinning starter moving the gear is what I figured. I'm guessing cleaning it with the WD40 should have done the trick. I'll put the starter back in and see if it works now.
There was a good thread about flathead starters not engaging on the flathead v8 forum: http://flatheadv8.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2516 It might be worth checking it out.
Ummm so am i the first one that mabey thinks he might have the wrong flywheel??? Arent 8ba and 59a different offsets on the ring gear??
Well it bench tested just fine ... turns the right way, gear slides in, etc. I'll install it and see what happens. I'm thinking that there may have been too much grease on the shaft. I don't think the flywheel is the issue ... the starter has to be twisted to get it out from behind the flywheel and it does bolt in properly. Seems to me if the flywheel was wrong then one of the above would be an issue. We'll find out as soon as the weather clears up.
Starters early and late interchange, starter mounts at proper depth for each due to design of the mounting on engine
Then let's put it this way ... there's no reason to believe the flywheel is anything but the original.
I guess what your saying you don,t know if it ever worked. I have heard that and automatic starter is not the same, and also the mounting starter plate some are different.
was looking up an issue for mine. just thought id add to this one, the little spring/rod you speak of on the gear holds the gear from vibrating into the flywheel while driving, it sits in the groove at the end of the shaft. i noticed mine was binding up there because it was dirty and dry, so i lubed up the little spring/rod and then cleaned and lightly oiled the shaft and it works perfectly. hope this helps someone.
I've had a bolt back out, in my model a banger. Had to pull the transmission to get bolt back. Try turning engine by hand to rule out bad spot on flywheel.
Boy what changes over the years. If i only knew what i dont know now. Ha. On most bendix's also there is a tab the locks the set screw in place, inless you use an upgraded one. 6volt starter on 12 volts will work but over time..... You be the judge. Hope ya figured it out!!!
I have the same issue. Drove all last month no issues then tried to start my 40 truck today and the starter was just spinning and not engaging the fly wheel. Pulled the starter out and found the spring at the end of the bendix had snapped in two places. The question is, if the spring is broken does that have something to do with the bendix not springing back and not allowing it to engage?
FWIW, I had a starter that wouldn't turn over the engine, but would run on a bench test. Bendix was fine, but the brushes were bad and the commutator was dirty and carbon tracked. A little polishing +$15 for my local starter guy to test the field coils and replace brushes and it works great now. DO NOT run a Ford starter without those lock tabs on the spring bolts!!!
Thanks to this Post. I had a Starter that wouldnt engage the Flywheel. It spun up on the bench but wouldnt slide back on the shaft to engage. There was some grease on the shaft, which made it sticky, so a good spray of WD40 and that fixed the sticky shaft issue. Then when I fitted it, it wouldnt Crank the flywheel. I was using a Jumper Lead as the +ve cable. I found that it was heating up a fair bit, so I swapped it over to a Multi strand High Amp Battery cable and she fired up first go.
What year flathead? Does the starter sound like it is engaging and then binds/jams? I have an 8ba 49-53 flathead and got it as someone else's unfinished project with a pile of extra parts. When we put all the pieces together and tried to fire it up, the starter would engage and immediately jam up. Turns out, the truck and car belhousings have different starter plates. The truck bellhousing is flat and the car has a slight angle. The starter plates account for this angle so the starter engages the flywheel correctly. My engine was a truck bellhousing and the starter plates I had were for cars so it would jam the starter. Found and installed a truck starter plate and everything lined up.
Gkent hasn't posted here since January 2012. I'd imagine he must have gotten his starter working or maybe he went out and bought a brand new Hyundai.
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