Starter spinning but not engaging

07 Boss

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I'm not disputing anything just relaying my experiences with bad starters or low battery situations. Like I said when my battery would run low the starter would always engage just sometimes it did not have enough juice to turn the motor over. I've never had the starter not engage for low voltage. Purely anecdotal. I can understand why it may not engage, I have just never had it happen that way before.
 

Juice

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I'm not disputing anything just relaying my experiences with bad starters or low battery situations. Like I said when my battery would run low the starter would always engage just sometimes it did not have enough juice to turn the motor over. I've never had the starter not engage for low voltage. Purely anecdotal. I can understand why it may not engage, I have just never had it happen that way before.

It really depends on starter design. I had a Dodge do this exact thing. But the starter gear was extended by the spiral splines, not the solenoid. That is not the case with modular starters.
100% agree this is a very odd problem.
 

Laga

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Have you rotated the crank by hand so the starter touches a different spot of the flex plate?
 

Juice

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I got a clamp amp meter. And when cranking it gets 114 Amps DC. Does anyone know if that is low?
I dont know the specs, but that seems reasonable.
You should post a video of this issue, as we seemed to be getting nowhere. You have done everything starter related (test/replace) and nothing changed. A battery voltage reading, while trying to crank it may also help.
 

Zach Baumann

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I’ll try and upload a video once I get to a computer. I just tested it and voltage dropped to 11.4 while cranking.
 

Juice

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Video does not sound like a free spinning starter to me.
 

Jack F

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Same thing I thought. Sounds like an engine with very low compression turning over.
 

Midlife Crises

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Wow. That really sounds like the starter has engaged and is turning something. The flywheel or ring gear is spinning but the engine is not rolling with it?
 

Pentalab

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IF the crankshaft was actually turning, it would have a 114 amp load on it. If the starter did not engage the flywheel teeth, there is no way in hell the starter would be pulling 114 amps..... just spinning, with no load on it.
 

Zach Baumann

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I guess I’ll pull the starter again and see if the ring gear is still attached. I’m at a loss as to why it ran fine one day but when it sat for a few days it did this but eventually cranked. But if it sat for a week or so this happened and not it doesn’t start at all
 

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