MTFCA Forum

Car was starting just fine now it won’t. Now I have a new battery, starter, starter button , new cables & a new bendix. It will turn over enough to wind the bendix into the fly wheel and stop. You can crank this car and drive it anywhere but the starter will not work. What is the wrong ???? Thank you for your help. Ron

Why did you replace all that stuff? What was the original issue?

First thing that comes to mind is a dead battery. Second thing, is the engine properly grounded to the frame? Every connection in the entire starter circuit must be clean and tight, and that includes a good engine to chassis ground.

Pat is right, take some jumper cables from the battery to the starter. If that works, then you know it's a connection problem.

If it got to where it wouldn’t start what exactly was it doing to begin with.
Wouldn’t turn over?
Engine turning to slow?
Or ?????

Or the new battery is bad, not unheard of. Get it tested.

Thanks for all your comments. All of this was done before I started replacing stuff. I have jumpers cables & a 12 volt battery jumped directly to the starter and still the bendix just winds into the fly wheel and won’t turn the motor over. The 6 volt battery in the car is new & checks out fine. Put I. Another car and it starts rite up. Still looking for the problem????

If you have done what others suggest ensuring you have cleaned all connections & have an excellent grounded negative cable. I’d also suggest that you check the post on the starter. Does the post have 2 nuts on the post? One that stabilizes the post & then the one that you gently snug up using 2 wrenches, one on the first nut & the other to snug the top nut onto the cable lead to connect the positive cable with. If not you’ve probably degraded the post’s connection to the field coil bracket. If that’s all good then it sounds like you didn’t replace the key on the shaft for the bendix assembly or didn’t properly set the bolts & keepers on the spring. It also could even be the pin guide (can’t remember what it’s really called) is missing. Strongly suggest you just use the six volt battery unless you decide to have the starter rewired to a set up for a twelve volt battery. Good luck! Best John

I had this problem a few years ago. It would start, turn over halfway and stop. Turns out I had a slightly bent starter shaft. I sent it to buckeye auto electric and they fixed it quick and no more issues!

Similar to Johns' recommendations; if you have gone over all of the electrical connections with no luck I would back out the starter and bendix and look them over carefully to see if something has come loose or broken. Keep an eye on that little key in the starter shaft when you take things apart.

Having remanufactured many starters, I can count on one hand the ones where the terminal stud was not loose to the buss bar.
That is a sore point on the T starter. Check in close.
The new field coils look like a good solution to this issue.
I would check there and be sure the right size cables are use. Dan

Any one or combination of "new" parts can be defective, incorrect or just plain crap.
Narrow it down.
Pull the bendix. With a leather glove, engage the starter & try to stop it. If you can, its a weak starter or power issue. If the starter is strong, its the bendix. New Bendix? what does that mean? Repop? rebuilt? A not correct T Bendix?
I see a lot of bendix's offered that are not correct. (a picture would confirm)
The starter shaft should have turned straight in your earlier test. The new, correct Bendix should slide into position with no friction in the snout bushing. Finally install the bendix engage with the cover off briefly watching for a problem. Briefly, because you are going to be slinging a lot of oil.

Does it stop at the same position each time? A simple piece of masking tape on the crank can check this. If so its something mechanical like ring gear. If it stops in all different positions starter/engagement would be the next step. Simple test not requiring anything to be taken apart...

-if same position take starter off and inspect ring gear, while starter is off bench test for trueness of shaft

-if different positions follow speedys advice.

Now I have a new battery, starter, starter button , new cables & a new bendix.

So, all of these new parts were installed to help solve the starting problem? In other words, you had the starting issue before you added these parts, but the new parts did not help?

From your description of the problem I would check for this:

I agree the problem presents like a faulty starter but, OP claims the starter is new. The stud should not be an issue.
The definition of "new starter" is not clear however.
New as in a WASP (only new available), fresh rebuild by a reputable guy, or newly picked from the parts shelf.

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 11, 2025 12:52 pm

The definition of "new starter" is not clear however.
New as in a WASP (only new available), fresh rebuild by a reputable guy, or newly picked from the parts shelf.

...or as in "fixed".

Rjackson wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 10, 2025 8:42 pm

Car was starting just fine now it won’t. Now I have a new battery, starter, starter button , new cables & a new bendix. It will turn over enough to wind the bendix into the fly wheel and stop. You can crank this car and drive it anywhere but the starter will not work. What is the wrong ???? Thank you for your help. Ron

Check the cable at the starter. If it was over tightened when installed and the stud turned, you may not have power going to the starter. Don't ask me how I know about this.....

When I first restored my TT it had an issue with the starter initially winding out the bendix against the flywheel and just stopping. It was due to the shaft being bent