MTFCA Forum

I recently reconditioned my starter.
It runs smooth and the shaft is straight and runs true (no bends or wobbles) on the test bench.

It installed nicely and when the starter button was pushed it engaged and cranked the engine well,

..... however ......

When the starter button is released (without the engine starting) it makes a bad 'graunch' as the bendix disengages. Now It should not do that at all!
No 'bad noise' on engagement and crank, only on release.

I have replaced the Bendix with a new one, same issue.

Next steps: 1) I will swap out with another starter (why not), and 2) examine the ring gear.

Any ideas what causes a graunch on disengagement??

Thanks for your suggestions.

It all hinges on just what a "graunch" is.

Is the bendix cover an original? Repop covers are smaller ID & if not centered can be hit by the head of the drive head bolt.
Try a brief crank with the cover removed to exclude the cover.
Briefly is key in that you will dump a lot of oil thru the missing cover opening.

Are the four starter mounting screws tight ?

Do you use a six volt battery or something else?

Hmm, could be a 'graunch grounch or maybe a bit more of a grruumm graunch

Yes, all original parts and cover
Yes all tight
It is a 12v converted starter, not 6v with 12v in it.
No, I have not had this problem before the refurbishment

If your 12 volt converted starter is a new acquisition, maybe it's going to be on its return trip for fixing ?

Adrian the T starter has to have a different wiring & bus cut to convert it to a12 volt starter that you can safely use on a T. You might consider Jeff as a source. He restores them and may be able to help you check to see if it was done correctly. If you have another 6 volt starter you could challenge the issue with the 6volt starter to see if the problem goes away. I’m not saying stick with 6 volt but rather get advice from Jeff on what you actually have concerning the 12 v starter.

Thanks John, yes the starter is rewired and modified bus, we have been using this solution here for many years and across a lot of cars with no problems ... until this time ... :-0

I recommend inspecting the starter drive. Make sure the gear returns to its resting position. It might be sticking on its way back.

Art Mirtes

My T has some starter noise too but since it it doesn’t have an electric starter, the noise is coming from me. Haha.

Good morning, A. Whiteman.... Any progress with your starter problem?

Hi Robert, the short answer is - no

I swapped out another starter and bendix and still have the issue.
Scratching my head on this as locally no one else has the problem with the 12v conversion.
I ponder whether the 12v has too much momentum, so when the starter is disengaged the armature is spinning too fast for the bendix to release.

Anyway, I thought I would hand crank, however I have run into a problem with my 'new' New Day shorting out between contacts and melting a hole in the plastic (it happened FAST). It seems the brush stopped 'just' touching a contact and started buzzing away, a wisp of smoke and a quick turn off of the power. I have not heard of that happening before either.

I shut the garage, shook my head and decided to enjoy the Christmas break...

Ouch... Have a good Christmas with the family.. and maybe you'll have some extra suggestions pop up here.

Just a thought, is your spring sprung & not aligned linear linearly?

Hi John, thanks.
Yes, I have checked the spring and tried alternatives too 'just in case' to no avail.

A suggestion is to look at the ring gear and verify it is the correct way around. If it is 'backwards' the 'lead in' champfers would not be on the correct side for the bendix. I will have a look at that but the issue is not in engagement but disengagement, still better check everything.

"I ponder whether the 12v has too much momentum, so when the starter is disengaged the armature is spinning too fast for the bendix to release." (OP quote)

The point of the "bus" modification 12v conversion is to get the starter to turn 1/2 speed on 12v to be equivalent to 6v function.
So that aint it.

@ this point all I can suggest is to post a couple of pix of the installed bendix in case we can spot something a bit off.

The point of the "bus" modification 12v conversion is to get the starter to turn 1/2 speed on 12v to be equivalent to 6v function.
So that aint it.

Yes, I think you are right - really grasping at straws at the moment.
Will send pictures when I re-open the garage

Thank you all for your ideas for such a nebulous issue.

Wishing you all and yours a special Christmas Time