I have been having an on going starter problem on my 1992 Convertible 5.0. I am currently on its 4th starter since last November. Here is its history.
The first starter that failed last November had been on my Convertible since 2009. It had gradually gotten more harsh in the sound of the bendix engagement until it failed to engage the flywheel at all. When I removed that starter it inspected as a bad starter, the bendix was slightly chewed and the bendix shaft had play going into the end cap. So bad starter and I replaced it.
The second starter started my engine 2 times before failing to engage the flywheel. Same exact failure. It seemed as though it was barely contacting the ring gear. I replaced it with a third starter.
The Third starter, once installed, worked and sounded normal for the first few starts. Beginning with the fifth start it began to become harsh in the sound of the bendix engagement just like the previous starters. On the 9th start the starter failed in the same way as the others. These starters were Autozone lifetime warranted starters.
Last week a friend gave me a used Ford starter he had laying around as an experiment. It looked slightly different than the Autozone starters. The motor section was a little shorter and overall it just looked more heavy duty. That starter has lasted a bit over a week. Three days ago it too did not engage the flywheel. Until today it had missed engaging the flywheel 4 or 5 times. The difference was that when the Autozone starters missed the engagement that was it for them. This starter would start my engine once I cycled the switch to off and did another start attempt. Today, this Ford starter also failed completely, no engagement of the flywheel.
I have done all the inspections and trouble shooting I can think of. Everything checks normal electrically. I and 2 others have visually inspected the ring gear teeth. The teeth inspect fine. There is the occasional chipped tooth. Nothing but a very small chip and nothing consecutive. I have checked for the fore and aft movement of the crankshaft and that is normal.
My Convertible is a 1992 and the literature out there says it should have the more Chevy looking starter but I have owned it for 18 years and it never has. It has the 1991 and older type starter. Is there a difference in a starter from a 5.0 with a manual vs an automatic transmission? I have had conflicting info on this question when actually talking to someone.
If it comes to it, I do have a replacement stock flywheel for the engine. I also have a replacement clutch, throwout bearing, rear main seal, and the upgraded front bearing cover for the T-5 transmission with the steel sleeve for the input shaft. I just want to make sure what my problem really is before I go to the trouble and expense to replace the major parts as I cannot do the job myself for several reasons
So, anyone with any helpful info, please help with some useful advice.
The first starter that failed last November had been on my Convertible since 2009. It had gradually gotten more harsh in the sound of the bendix engagement until it failed to engage the flywheel at all. When I removed that starter it inspected as a bad starter, the bendix was slightly chewed and the bendix shaft had play going into the end cap. So bad starter and I replaced it.
The second starter started my engine 2 times before failing to engage the flywheel. Same exact failure. It seemed as though it was barely contacting the ring gear. I replaced it with a third starter.
The Third starter, once installed, worked and sounded normal for the first few starts. Beginning with the fifth start it began to become harsh in the sound of the bendix engagement just like the previous starters. On the 9th start the starter failed in the same way as the others. These starters were Autozone lifetime warranted starters.
Last week a friend gave me a used Ford starter he had laying around as an experiment. It looked slightly different than the Autozone starters. The motor section was a little shorter and overall it just looked more heavy duty. That starter has lasted a bit over a week. Three days ago it too did not engage the flywheel. Until today it had missed engaging the flywheel 4 or 5 times. The difference was that when the Autozone starters missed the engagement that was it for them. This starter would start my engine once I cycled the switch to off and did another start attempt. Today, this Ford starter also failed completely, no engagement of the flywheel.
I have done all the inspections and trouble shooting I can think of. Everything checks normal electrically. I and 2 others have visually inspected the ring gear teeth. The teeth inspect fine. There is the occasional chipped tooth. Nothing but a very small chip and nothing consecutive. I have checked for the fore and aft movement of the crankshaft and that is normal.
My Convertible is a 1992 and the literature out there says it should have the more Chevy looking starter but I have owned it for 18 years and it never has. It has the 1991 and older type starter. Is there a difference in a starter from a 5.0 with a manual vs an automatic transmission? I have had conflicting info on this question when actually talking to someone.
If it comes to it, I do have a replacement stock flywheel for the engine. I also have a replacement clutch, throwout bearing, rear main seal, and the upgraded front bearing cover for the T-5 transmission with the steel sleeve for the input shaft. I just want to make sure what my problem really is before I go to the trouble and expense to replace the major parts as I cannot do the job myself for several reasons
So, anyone with any helpful info, please help with some useful advice.
