Starter not engaging

[6T7Merc]

Ive just tried to see if my truck will turn over and all im getting is a chattering sound from the starter relay. When the key is turned to start it feels like the starter is turning but its not engaging with the flywheel. Is my starter bad or does it need adjustment or is it some other issue i should look into?
thanks in advance.

[FORDification]

Sounds to me like you're simply not getting full voltage to the starter. You need to make sure your battery is fully charged, AND that the battery clamps and solenoid connections are clean and tight. (Don't just assume they're clean...take them off and clean them.)

[hi-fi-guy]

That's exactly what my truck does when the battery's dead.

[6T7Merc]

Well ive tried this with my battery fully charged but ill clean the contacts tonight. I tried it again and it seems like the starter gear is trying to engage but is hitting on the flywheel and not engaging in the gear teeth. maybe?

[seattle67]

Well ive tried this with my battery fully charged but ill clean the contacts tonight. I tried it again and it seems like the starter gear is trying to engage but is hitting on the flywheel and not engaging in the gear teeth. maybe?

That will usually be accompanied by a loud whine (the starter motor free wheeling) and/or a loud grinding noise. Starter motors are series wound motors, so it is the load of turning the engine that regulates the speed of the motor. So when they don't engage they really wind up and you will definitely hear it.

If you are hearing a bunch of clicking noises, often followed by no noise at all, then I would follow Keith's advice and look for a low battery or a dirty/loose connection. And we are talking all connections, not just at the battery itself. Check the positive from the battery, through the starter solenoid, all the way to the starter. Check the negative from the battery all the way to where the ground attaches to your block. The failure could be at any of those points.

Don't worry too much, this should be a fairly easy fix. Just keep us informed on your progress and we'll help as much as we can.

[rjewkes]

i have even had the wire on the starter get pushed flat against the starter body and ground it all out.

[oldschoolrods]

also check what your battery drops too when you crank it, anything below 9-10V = junk. A voltmeter with a min/max setting works awesome for this if you don't have one with that function just have someone crank while you watch the meter

[FLATBEDFORD]

Check/replace the ground wire. It's just as important as the positive one. I speak from experience.

[6T7Merc]

I cleaned all of the contacts with no change and i took off my inspection plate under the flywheel and the starter is not spinning or engaging at all.
My ground is fine as i have put a new quality wire in.
When i crank over im getting a reading of about 7-9 volts with the truck battery, even when i tested it with the battery out of my SUV.
I used my voltemeter and im getting a constant 12v to the other side of the solenoid.
Could it be possible that my solenoid has gone and is just chattering?

[seattle67]

Hmmm, for the battery voltage to drop that much there has to be a pretty hefty load on it. I'm beginning to think that maybe your starter has gone bad.

[6T7Merc]

yeah im thinking my starter might be bad. Its original but i had it rebuilt so im thinking it may be out. I ordered a new starter relay so we will see how that helps.

[6T7Merc]

So i got around to doing some more testing and im getting continuity from my power post to the outside ground of the starter.. that would be a bad thing wouldnt it?

[seattle67]

No, thats not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it would definitely be a bad thing if you didn't have continuity. You are, hopefully, just reading through the motor windings. There should be some resistance, but on a a DC series wound motor the resistance will be very low.

[6T7Merc]

No, thats not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it would definitely be a bad thing if you didn't have continuity. You are, hopefully, just reading through the motor windings. There should be some resistance, but on a a DC series wound motor the resistance will be very low.

thats what i figured but then i cant seem to figure out the problem[ so im trying everything. oh well, ill keep at it. ill get my starter tested today.

[seattle67]

Getting it tested is a good idea. It's pretty tough to test a starter motor with a standard multimeter, they just aren't sensitive enough. The resistance is so low in series motors that its hard to tell if you are reading through good windings or your windings are shorted. About all you can see with a meter is if your windings are open.