MTFCA Forum

Motor kicked back a bit when starting, now won't turn over (sounds like it's trying). Battery, switch, power to starter seems ok. is the bendix jammed into the flywheel?

It appears so ! Throw the handbrake forward & rock the car. BTW - the Bendix bolts should be straight across from each other !

Tried rocking before pulling the cover. is there another method?

Looks like someone is using a 12 volt battery.
Bet the ring gear is bad.
Might try prying the flywheel back with big screwdriver?

Spring definitely has to be replaced... And were the four mounting bolts of the starter snug or loose when this occurred?

Too much "advance" can be a cause for Bendix jamming - I'd attempt to grab the Bendix drive at the outboard spring bolt with a large pipe wrench or a large adjustable jaw pliers & manipulate the drive back & forth - see what happens !

As Steve suggests, grab the end of the bendix and turn it counterclockwise. And yes, your bendix spring is distorted and should probably be replaced.

Hi Henry, I had the same issue for much the same cause (son in law learning to drive..).

I removed the Bendix bolts and slid as much off the shaft as possible (the gear was still locked up), then I undid the starter mount bolts. When the starter was loosened the Bendix gear came free from binding on the ring.

Removed the starter and checked shaft had not bent, inspected the gear for damage (none found) then reinstalled and put the Bendix back on again.

(And yes, I had tried the rocking thing before dismantling). Took all of 40mins start to finish to get it going again.

Good luck

Monty 98 wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 23, 2025 8:22 pm

Motor kicked back a bit when starting, now won't turn over (sounds like it's trying). Battery, switch, power to starter seems ok. is the bendix jammed into the flywheel?

Henry, Check the woodruff key that it hasn't sheared part way. May be the cause for misaligned bolts. had it happen to me. Not retarding the spark advance can cause it to happen.

In my experience the bendix jams on a worn ring gear. All things equal, the things will work well until they don't. The kickback means the gear teeth can often engage on a different face on the worn ring gear. Once it is disengaged normal service may mean that the worn ring gear will carry on as usual, until it doesn't. The only lasting cure is a new ring gear.

Re the bendix spring, I have seen far worse springs than that one still giving good service. Sure, the bolts are aligned on a new spring, but that is not necessarily a reason to replace one as straight as this one. When they start to unwind and distort, then they need replacing.

Allan from down under.

Mine sticks once in a while but releases when I pull the hand crank just a bit. Perhaps your spark wasn’t fully retarded. Just a thought. Good luck.

Allan wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 24, 2025 7:05 pm

In my experience the bendix jams on a worn ring gear. All things equal, the things will work well until they don't. The kickback means the gear teeth can often engage on a different face on the worn ring gear. Once it is disengaged normal service may mean that the worn ring gear will carry on as usual, until it doesn't. The only lasting cure is a new ring gear.

Re the bendix spring, I have seen far worse springs than that one still giving good service. Sure, the bolts are aligned on a new spring, but that is not necessarily a reason to replace one as straight as this one. When they start to unwind and distort, then they need replacing.

Allan from down under.

Correct.
As mentioned, Turn the bendix CCW to disengage it from the ring gear & get back into its starting position on the drive thread. If necessary, loosen the starter mount screws. You will be able to view sections of the ring gear. Determine how bad the teeth are damaged.
If gear teeth look serviceable, re-tighten the starter. Turn the starter shaft, looking to see if it is bent. If a hint of bent, remove the bendix, Spin the shaft & straighten the shaft. Replace the bendix. It should slide into the starter snout bearing easily. If not, the snout is also bent. Straightening the snout will require removing the bendix & the starter motor for some bench manipulation.

This area here concerns me. It appears that the counterweight has been driven up hard against the hogshead. It would be difficult to believe that the starter housing and/or starter shaft has not been bent in order to do that.

Either way, you first need to get it unstuck. You have had a lot of good advice in order to do that. Have you made any progress?

Very good advice. Hope to try loosening the starter screws a little to to see if slight movement will free it. If not, bendix comes off

Well spotted Jerry. It may be that jamming the bendix gear teeth on worn ring gear teeth is causing the dislpacement. Once freed up, hopefully the starter shaft is not bent.

Allan from down under.

Loosening the starter worked. New bendix spring ordered. Shaft looks straight. Thanks for the help

Monty 98 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 27, 2025 1:37 pm

Loosening the starter worked. New bendix spring ordered. Shaft looks straight. Thanks for the help

Something is way off for the bendix counterweight to hit the hole on one side & lots of clearance on the other side. (if the pix didnt lie)
"Looks straight" Aint gonna cut it. Spin the motor with the bendix off & watch the shaft. After confirming a straight shaft, slide the bendix on. It should effortlessly slide into the starter snout bushing. If not, the snout is bent.

The closeness of the counterweight to the side might have been a camera angle matter - if not, there would be a "tattle-tail" where it was rubbing.