hey guys got a 1976 dato 1200 with an a14, umm my starter motor seems to be making a whizzing noise and not engaging on the ring gear and making the car start, it takes about 10 goes or so to get it to start? i'm thinking the overrun gear is worn out as it spins both ways and the wiki says it should onyl spin one way, so would i be correct in buying a new starter? cheers

Umm you may want to check that the solenoid isn't sticking? The sometimes get a little difficult and a little tap frees them up (sometimes. Otherwise you may just need to pull it out to check that it does move properly.

The solenoid is the little unit that piggy backs the starter motor (if you didn't know already).

Tried that mate, i bought a new one for $150 if it doesnt work then im back to square one i guess, is there any possibility it could be in the ignition barrel where the key goes in as it's a bit rusty?

Could be the clutch on the starter gear. (The bit that lets the motor speed up after it's started and the starter is still enguaged.) Check this by anchoring the starter, turning it on and sticking some wood (carefully) into the starter gear. It'll stop if that's what it is. Had it happen on my old HQ. Back then it cost around $20 for the part to fix it (Holden's are much cheaper to fix though).

I'm pretty sure the key just powers the solenoid so if that were the problem it just would't do anything. Usually the solenoid fires, enguages the gear and at the end of it's throw connects the starter motor to power.

Hope this helps.

will do mate, cheers :)