I'm having trouble with my starter and am about out of ideas on troubleshooting. So I am looking for suggestions to try, or some input on this matter.

I will try to keep it brief (edit: it aint, sorry!), I made a video also to show the problem:

Video ( https://youtu.be/F4QHG0LGwRY )

A little bit of back story, not that relevant so please skip it if you cbf to read.
Drove my car to old mate Bob Jane on the weekend to get a wheel alignment done after installing new coilovers, camber adjusters and tie rod ends.
It started fine, drove like #OOPS# (toe was wack, it was pissing down and sketchy as.) but I made it there and parked, switched it off.
Mr alignment comes out and asks me how do I start my car?. Didn't know why he was having trouble until I went out to take a look. A younger bloke was poking around under the dash and near the heater hoses looking for a kill switch. (not relevant to problem but noticed later that it had sprung a leak at the heater core and heater cock, so I think he might have been a bit rough under there. fker!)
Told him there wasn't a switch and gave it a try my self. Not even a click from the solenoid. We tried the short-the-switch-terminal trick and the roll-her-back-and-forth-in-gear trick but couldn't get a peep from her. we roll started it and did the alignment (amazingly good to drive now) and then tried starting it to get it out of the shop. Got a couple clicks from the solenoid but she wouldn't fire up. Anyway, got her home and started head scratching.

Things I have done/tried:
New fan belt (needed doing)
New + battery terminal and lead (also needed doing)
Cleaned all connections relating to issue. Battery leads, ground points, solenoid posts and clamps.
Bypassed ignition switch by directly powering the solenoid switch from the battery with a short lead.
Bench tested motor and solenoid individually. Solenoid fine but nothing from the motor. Checked the bendix drive/clutch - spins freely one way, and will lock against the shaft and turn with the shaft the opposite way.
Disassembled motor completely and cleaned, which it very much needed doing - Was the cause of the motor not turning.
Reassembled correctly
Reinstalled correctly (I believe, 2 bolts and didn't see any shims, too easy)

So the problem now is shown in the video. Only some times it will turn the engine over, the rest of the time it sounds like it is engaging the flywheel but free-spinning? You can hear it grind once in the video when I try to start it again while the starter is still spinning, so the solenoid is firing and moving the pinion gear forward to the flywheel.

So further tests have been:

Removed it again. Bench tested ok every time. Solenoid firing hard and fast and the motor itself is spinning fast and every time.
Re-checked one way clutch. Again seems okay. There is no play in the shaft but a very tiny bit of play on the pinion gear which i assume is just the clutch mechanism.
Inspected flywheel for missing teeth and for good measure turned the engine over by hand to move the flywheel.
Re-installed, still being strange.

I'm suspecting the bendix drive or clutch whatever you call it is slipping, but perhaps one part in it still has enough life to line up occasionally and engage the pinion gear? Should I attempt to load it during a bench test by jamming it and seeing if it slips? I read that someone held the gear while testing the motor and determined it was a bad clutch due to him being able to hold the gear in place. Seems a bit dodge to me though.

The tech-wiki is great but limited on this subject, and so is google. But I am keen to learn more and try to fix or repair/replace parts myself. So any input would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

Bendix drive is a type of overrunning clutch, so you can call it either if you want.

Quote:That is not a bendix problem.

Quote:That means the bendix is good. Don't try to hold it while powering the starter as it can rip your fingers off.


What I see in the video is you turning the key momentarily, and letting it back to soon. What happens when you hold the key at START? Does is grind or spin? I heard no grinding in the video. Actually it was fairly quiet when the motor did turn over, and fairly quiet when the motor started, so it's hard to tell what is happening.

Quote:That is the correct and usual test for a bendix.

But only if the bendix won't turn back at all. If it turns back a little, then catches and turns the shaft, the bendix is bad.

Thanks DD that's what I was hoping to hear but not at the same time.

Yeah when I hold the key it just keeps spinning so that's why I was only doing it momentarily as I heard it is bad to run it unloaded. plus I was trying to show it working randomly. I also did a continuous test during one of the times it caught the engine with the ignition disconnected. After 10 or so seconds of cranking it started spinning. It feels like it may turn back a touch but it is hard to tell, I will check again. The video is quiet but you can turn your sound up if possible as the engine is the loudest noise.

Yeah the solenoid wasn't firing at the tyre shop due to dirty connections on the solenoid and a loose - battery connection I believe. It works fine now, every time.

So a bad bendix drive can sometimes work? but will fail totally eventually yeah? Maybe de-greasing it was a bad idea

Yes. A bendix drive going bad will still start the engine mostly. As it wears even further, it will "spin" free more and more. Replace it now.

When you get a new drive or new starter, you'll be able to tell how "tight" a good bendix is. There is absolutely no backwards motion.

Thanks again for confirming. I will try and source a new one.

It seemed strange that the spinning started after electrical problems/me messing with it. It hasn't done it before I took it apart and it seemed very bad right away so I worried it was something I'd done to it.