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1970 midget starter not engaging flywhee

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Woodie

Woodie

Jedi Warrior
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Well I turn ed the key today and the starter turned , but did not catch the fly wheel. I pulled the starter to bench test it and when it starts the shaft spins freely. The gear on the end that engages the fly wheel does not move in or out. I reinsatlled the starter and as I close it up, I can tell the starter gear is behind (to the rear of the car) the flywheel. How does the starter gear move toward the front of the car to engage the flywheel.??
 
Woodie make sure the splines on the starter shaft are well lubed I had the same problem w/my Midgets starter centrifical force moves the drive out from its rest position u will have to pull it out again but its a simple fix good luck
 
Ok so if I understand you, when the starter spins the gear on the starter actually moves closer to the starter, correct? if so then it is stuck, any ideas on how to unstick it?
 
Oil it up. Clean out any mung in the spiral of the drive gear, clean off any rust too. Then lightly oil it up and work it by hand.
 
ok tomorrow I stick the gear end in a bucket of oil. I still don't get how the gear slides down the shaft from the furtherest away from the body of the starter and moves closer to the starter?? Can I put the gear end in a vice and push the starter toward the gear on theend of the shaft??
 
You should be able to rotate the gear and have it move down the spiral towards the starter. Clean it out with some penetrating oil like PB blaster then oil it up well.
 
WHen I rotate the gear the whole shaft turns. WHen the gear slides toward the starter how does it stay fixed to the shaft so it turns the flywheel??
 
"WHen I rotate the gear the whole shaft turns" well yes... but the inertia of the gear will cause it to move (if not all gummed up) down the spiral as the shaft starts to spin. So.. if the thing is not all gunked up you should be able to hold the shaft and turn the gear so that it moves down the shaft.

Someone please correct me if I'm misleading him here.
 
You got it right, the gear slides up and down the shaft on a spiral gear kind of. Lub lub and get it working smoothly. it is doable hold the starter shaft in one positoin while turning the gear.
 
ok, one last thought before I headout. I can hold the spring which is outboard of the gear on the shaft when I apply power on the bench and it spins freely, while the gear does not spin. The shaft from the gear to the starter is smooth, no spiral anything. If the starter works correctly, the gear while spinning slides on this shaft in bound towards the starter, and engages the flywheel. Is this correct? Sorry for being such a dummy..
 

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Keep everything clear of the gear/spring when bench testing the starter...and be sure the starter is firmly attached to a sturdy bench.

The initial "jolt" of the start kicks the gear down onto the flywheel, then the binding of the teeth keeps it engaged until the engine fire, at which time the gear is kicked back out.

Just clean it up well and lubricate it well and it should be fine.
 
It should slide up and down the sleeve by hand, oil helps.
 
Be sure to use a very light oil then after you get it moving I'd clean the oil off because the oil will attract dirt and it will get stuck all over again. You just need the oil to get things moving again until things "resurface" themselves, then clean it away.
 
ok thanks. I will buy some penetrating oil and I will try to free it up after lunch today.
 
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