63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

[Todd L.]

Hey guys,

In rebuilding and restoring my numbers matching 63 300 HP car, I had Chargers Electric rebuild my starter and solenoid. After cranking the engine multiple times to set the valves and starting it a couple times, the starter now will only spin and not engage. I emailed Glen Beavers that owns Chargers Electric and he said it was a shim issue. I don't feel that is the case, since it has the same shim it had from the factory, and worked fine before I pulled the motor. I removed the shim and added shims, and it didn't change anything. I thought the solenoid may not have gotten restored correctly so I bought a new one, and it did the same thing. I found another old starter I had laying around, and installed it to find it engaged immediately. I started it a couple times, then it started doing the same thing, only spinning, and not engaging. Is there some kind of voltage regulator that could be causing this? I have even used a remote starter switch on the S and the + on the solenoid to eliminate the key switch, and that doesn't change anything. The next thing I will try tomorrow is to clean the negative battery connection on the starter, to see if that helps. I thought maybe a little paint may be making the voltage drop enough to cause this? Does anyone have any other ideas that I may be missing here?

Thanks so much,
Todd

[Tom E.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

Todd,
sounds like you have a low battery. With all of the starter usage and virtually no recharge time it sounds like you are not supplying enough voltage to the starter to spin the Bendix to engagement. I would put a good charge on the battery and see what happens.
Tom

[Frank D.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

The fact that the old starter you tested with started doing the same thing sort of exonerates the rebuild of the starter in question in my mind.

I would put a multimeter across the battery terminals while cranking (briefly); the voltage should drop to somewhere around 7V-9V, if the voltage is much more than that, there is a bad or corroded connection; if the voltage goes lower than that the battery may be bad or have a bad cell.

The starter must have enough current to engage its internal "drive" and actuate the fork that throws the starter gear into the flywheel, that is part #2 in the attachment.

Next I would drop the inspection cover and examine the flywheel teeth and make sure they aren't hooked, rounded or worn down.

[Tim S.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

It really sounds like a voltage drop issue. Be it if there is a marginal connection, or the battery is on the way out. It seems as though the voltage is dropping off once there is a load. That in turn will not allow the solenoid to "hold" the drive out and engage the flywheel.

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

Thanks Tom,

It is a brand new AC Delco battery fully charged before trying.

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

That is great detail Frank, thank you for the thoughts and picture!

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

I have cleaned all paint off of the shim, bottom of the block, and starter. I have checked resistance and have 000 ohms from the battery to the starter, engine block, frame, etc. The battery is at 12.7 V and when cranking it only drops to 11.5 and no less. I am lost as to what to try next...

[Tim S.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

Todd,

What you want focus on is how many volts are at the starter when cranking. That determines what kind of voltage drop you have during a load. It certainly sounds like the battery is up to par. Do you know how many volts are at the "S" terminal when cranking? While checking at the solenoid, it's something worth checking into. The last item that is often overlooked is the voltage drop on the negative side of the system.

Tim

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

Thanks for that suggestion, so I just checked that, the first time I hit the key, the starter engaged. Three times after it just spins and voltage was 10.7V at the "S" terminal while spinning.

[Richard G.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

"only spin and not engage"
Possibly the Bendix failed.
Bench test it by clamping in a vise and applying power. (you can hold onto them as the starting torque is amazing)
If the shaft is extending out when it's engaged the solenoid is working.
I have had the Bendix fail on new starters. Only ones currently available, as far as I know, are from China and they have a high initial failure rate.

[Todd L.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

Well, after talking with Chargers Electric, he told me to clean all the grease from the shaft, solenoid plunger, and arm. Then I sprayed everything with WD-40, installed it and it works as it should. Apparently he had too much grease on it, causing it to stick...This one was a challenge to figure out. Thanks for all the comments, I learned a lot more about starters..

[Frank D.]

Re: 63 starter won't engage on rebuilt starter

Well then - that's one for the memory banks, never heard of that before.
Whenever I've bench tested a starter that drive snapped into the start position like nobody's business; hard to believe excess grease would hold it back.

For a minute I thought we'd have to get out the "growler" - for those that remember the devices.