joepenoso

I turn the key starter turns engine doesn't.
Happened suddenly
I turn the key a few times and then it "Catches" and I'm off.
Is it the flywheel missing a tooth or starter solenoid?
Anything else?
Thanks
joepenoso
PS 71 Olds 455

MDchanic

Bad flywheel, disconnected solenoid lever, bad starter drive (including bad drive gear) are all possible. Since the starter is turning, a bad solenoid is lower on the list.

Only way to tell is to drop it.

- Eric

Professur

i think you should be able to see it all with just removing the inspection cover from the trans, no?

MDchanic

Yeah, but you can't feel it, and, regardless of exactly where the problem is, the solution will require removing the starter.

- Eric

oldcutlass

What Eric said, it's probably in the starter.

joepenoso

OK I'll pull the starter and check the flywheel teeth...........................just like a "Gift Horse"
Thanks
joepenoso
If the starters off................................any thing easy to check

joepenoso

What do you guys think about switching to a mini starter?

MDchanic

Why do you need one?

- Eric

joepenoso

Replace an unknown quantity with something new and start over .
joepenoso
brand new starters are relatively cheap ........less than $200 and sometimes less than a hundred

oldcutlass

To test the starter just hook it up to a 12v power source and jumper the big post to the S terminal. Your problem is in the mechanism that moves the gear out.

Tony72Cutlass'S'

If it sounds like a WHIRRR WHIRR WHIRRR

I'm gonna say bad timing chain or timing chain skipped a tooth.

Ask me how i know

joepenoso

I replaced the camshaft, lifters, harmonic damper, water pump, alternator, HEI distributor, timing chain. So I am pretty sure it's not the chain
joepenoso

MDchanic

If your description of the symptoms above is accurate, then it's the starter or the flexplate, but probably the starter.

- Eric

joepenoso

Thanks
It's only money.................
joepenoso

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Can you remove the inspection cover and see if the bendix or flexplate are stripped?

Apparently a rebuild kit for a stater is not that pricy, Allan R just did his in his build thread.

Flexplate i have no idea, but i assume you can get a good/used one from someone on here.

joepenoso

I ordered a Summit mini starter and will check the teeth when I switch it out. The starter turns in the air 3 or 4 times before the solenoid forces the teeth to mesh. I know it will only get worse.............so I ordered a new starter
joepenoso

hookem horns

Mini starter will be nice if you add headers.

MDchanic

Whatever floats your boat, but it'd probably be a lot cheaper to just fix the broken part.

- Eric

stellar

Sounds like a bad drive in the starter. Cheap fix. Usually will act worse in cold weather.

rustyroger

Are you sure Tony?, surely it's not hard to tell if an engine is turning over rather than just the starter motor.
Just saying.

Roger.

Tony72Cutlass'S'

Well, What happened to me last year was the timing chain skipped a couple of teeth, so the valves weren't closing at the right time and my engine was getting next to no compression.

It was more or less working like a 350 cubic inch air pump...

Tony72Cutlass'S'

and changed to this!