Starter spinning but not engaging

Zach Baumann

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I’ve been fighting this start issue for 8 months now. It started a while back where the starter seemed to crank the engine slow. Then eventually not crank at all and just spin and not engage. So I installed a new one. Now 6 months later that starter will only spin but not engage the flywheel. So I bought a new solenoid and that didn’t fix it. Now I have a genuine ford starter in it and still the same issue. Battery level was 12.2 last I checked then I charged it for a while up to 12.9. And still nothing. Swapped fuses and relays around. And still nothing. Any ideas? Thanks for the help
 

86GT351

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Take the starter to a parts store and have them bench test it. Also when the starter is out turn the motor over by hand and look at the flywheel for teeth damage.
 

Zach Baumann

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Teeth look good and I already have bench tested the starter. And everything was fine. I can’t think what it could be
 

Zach Baumann

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I’ve been thinking that. But if it were a bad ground wouldn’t that cause the whole starter not to work not just the solenoid?
 

DieHarder

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What is the condition of the cables that run down to the starter? Do they have a green tinge to them? The starter circuit is pretty simple. May be time to replace the main battery cables. I changed mine out (2006) and it made a huge difference. You can try cleaning them and adding some dielectric grease but given that they're now 17 years old I'd suggest replacing them.

The battery cable for the 4.6 (2005-2006): 5R3Z14300BB

https://iihs.net/fsm/?d=40&f=Starting System.pdf
 

Zach Baumann

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The car itself is super clean and I’ve never had corrosion on the battery terminals but I’m not sure about the starter. I can’t get time to work on it until next week so I’ll check into that then. Thanks
 

07 Boss

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So the gear on the starter, does it not pop out and engage the flywheel?
 

Midlife Crises

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Like others have noted. Replace the cable from the battery to the starter and the cable from the battery to the motor mount. You likely have a voltage drop through the cables. Sounds like your battery is a little on the low side also.
 

Juice

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12.2 v is low for a charged battery, and 12.9 v means shit if you measured immediately after removing the charger.

You replaced the starter, and the issue is not fixed. More than likely, not the starter.
What is the battery voltage while cranking the engine?
 

Laga

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You replaced the starter, but there can be corrosion where the cable joins the eyelets. I guess you can see if you are getting 12V on the terminals of the starter.
I just replaced my positive cable harness on my 05 last month.
 

Zach Baumann

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I am gonna try the cables like you guys suggested. I think the battery is low due to trying to crank so much over the past month trying to diagnose the issue.
 

DieHarder

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I am gonna try the cables like you guys suggested. I think the battery is low due to trying to crank so much over the past month trying to diagnose the issue.

You might try charging the battery up first, retest and report symptoms. If you don't have a charger Harbor Freight has a couple that are decent. I use one of their conditioners that has several charging modes though I find automatic works just fine for what I need it for.

Just an FYI when you charge the battery disconnect the negative terminal and ensure it cannot touch the negative terminal while the battery is charging.
 

07 Boss

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Maybe I'm just not understanding. But it seems like if the starter is spinning nut not engaging, wouldn't that be a starter issue as opposed to a low battery or bad connection? I'm just saying as many bad/low batteries I have had I can't ever remember the starter not engaging the flywheel. I've had bad or poorly mounted starters act that way but never a battery issue.
 

Juice

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Maybe I'm just not understanding. But it seems like if the starter is spinning nut not engaging, wouldn't that be a starter issue as opposed to a low battery or bad connection? I'm just saying as many bad/low batteries I have had I can't ever remember the starter not engaging the flywheel. I've had bad or poorly mounted starters act that way but never a battery issue.
See line 5 of first post.
 

Midlife Crises

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If I had a good, hot (around 13 volts) battery and the starter spun robustly I would suspect the ring gear was damaged. Especially being a new starter.
Maybe a stupid question but is the new starter the correct one for the flywheel?

Nah. I went back to the beginning and I still vote for a new battery and cables fixing this problem.
 
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Zach Baumann

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Starter is new. It’s a ford OEM one. I also believe that it’s the battery and or cables. I should have time next week to swap parts out. I’ll let y’all know what happens
 

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