Well, every time I go to start my car it sounds as if the starter is turning but not engaging. And now to add a twist, I can roll my car a little bit and the starter will grab and crank the engine over until it starts, but if the engine stalls on cold mornings (like it normally does) I try to crank it back over and have to repeat the whole process. So the question is: is the silinoid (however you spell that word) on my starter bad and only work half the time? OR Are there teeth missing on my flywheel and the starter can't grab it. But how does my flywheel turn when i push my car in nuteral? If aint one thing it's another It's getting worse and would like to fix it before I can't start it at all!

 

The starter's easy to take off - in less than 10 minutes you can have it off. Take it in, get it tested - you'll know then if it's the starter/solenoid, or if you've got to track down other potential problems.

 

alrighty thanks

 

my guess is the starter. if the teeth broke off you would have some major problems with your tranny. if a broken peice hit the flywheel in full rotation it would send the broken peice at high speed to do some damage, prolly break your through out baring and the clutch would not engage properly.

or wege in between the flywheel and presure plate and grid a nice line in the clutch maybe work its way to the flywheel.

when your car wont turn over try getting out and wacking the starter with a stick.. if it works then(with out haveing to move car) you most definatly know its the starter thats bad. altho. its a good chance it is.

 

Starter.

 

Even rebuilts do that sometimes. I once went thru 3 starters in a week. Just kept exchanging them till I got a good one.

 

pushing your car in neutral will do nothing, wether it's the flywheel or the starter. I had a car with bad teeth on flywheel and i'd have to push it and let off clutch to move to a good spot, sometimes jamming it into gear with clutch out would move it enough to grab, when i pulled that motor there was like 3 good teeth on the wheel.
the easiest way to tell is remove the inspection plate
(which will be easy since you have a weber)
and turn the engine to inspect teeth, if they all look good(all the way around), then you definetly have a starter problem.

 

take the starter off and look at the teeth on the flywheel

i think the ring gear is bad

 

that's what it sounds like to me too.
generally when a started goes it won't do anything when you turn the key.

rotofire when the starter spins does it sound like a just a motor spining or is it more of a grinding metal to metal sound?

if it's just a motor spinning noise it's a bad solinoid, if it's a grinding it's a tooth problem, on the starter or the flywheel.

I noticed you like to start it in gear a lot, lol, which can definetly cause flywheel damage, one of the reasons my flywheel was so bad is b/c i burnt a disc at the strip once and had to start it in gear a couple times to get it home and then get it fixed, isn't driving without a clutch fun?

 

So true... I got my $155 from Kragen back three months after their POS Beck/Arnley rebuild left me push starting my car a few times .. $30 for an FC starter from the junkyard and now both me & car are happy