allis wd bendix does not always fully engage

I have a WD that I have 2 starters for the run and one that does not. The starter that was in the tractor when I bought it after it was converted to 12v would grind about 80% of the time, I checked the ring gear and it seemed fine. I got another used starter and that one was much better and works about 75% of the time, the other starter came out of a parts tractor and I have not spent time trying to get that to work. One thing I noticed is that the starter that works the worst has 4 washers in addition to the one that sits on the end of the shaft past the bendix. in measuring the distance from the top of the bendix to the side of the starter where the hole is there is about 1/4" less distance than the starter that works better, that one however has an extra washer. The starter from the parts tractor has no extra washers just the one at the end of the shaft. Should there be washers to stop the bendix shorter? I believe not, I am going to put a new bendix in the starter that works the best and take the extra washer out. I have tried all the tricks that are in other posts about starter grinding or not engaging and none of them made a difference. Can you tell me if any starters you have for a wd have extra washers or just the one at the end of the shaft that rests against the end of the bendix cover housing.?

Never seen one with any washers on them so some one probably put them there thinking it would make it work better NOT

That is what I thought, seems illogical to me or backwards from what you want.

Ya maybe they thought with them there it would lessen the blow from having it on 12 volts but in reality it would make the teeth not engage as far into the ring gear and make the ring gear wear faster

(quoted from post at 22:44:38 08/03/15) Ya maybe they thought with them there it would lessen the blow from having it on 12 volts but in reality it would make the teeth not engage as far into the ring gear and make the ring gear wear faster

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I took the washers out tonite and there is a 1/4 gap between the end of the Bendix and the one washer/bushing at the end of the shaft, but with a little pull on the bendix the spring stretches to let it go the full length, that clearly would get the Bendix further into the ring gear, will try it out tomorrow.

I have a WC with same the starter that used to very often engage before the gears meshed and gave the grinding noise. My Dad, who has way more Allis experience than myself,
pulled it out and got it working 100%. I was not with him when he did it but he told me later that he just added one washer for the bendix to go further in before the power hits.

(quoted from post at 22:29:51 08/04/15) I have a WC with same the starter that used to very often engage before the gears meshed and gave the grinding noise. My Dad, who has way more Allis experience than myself,
pulled it out and got it working 100%. I was not with him when he did it but he told me later that he just added one washer for the bendix to go further in before the power hits.

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Thanks to all for your help, I had 2 supposedly working starters and one that was missing parts. Well today I got two of them working by swapping parts, taking out the washer on the bendix end, the key was to get 3/4" clearance between the back of the Bendix gear and the housing opening when turned all the way to the stop, I did this by mixing and matching parts from the Bendix's and changing the Bendix housing, one of the Bendix housing was missing the holes to screw the plate that goes on the shaft at the base of that housing. On the other starter it had slop in it, so I put a couple of the washers on the shaft by the brushes to hold the armature and shaft so that you had the 3/4 clearance between the extended gear base and the housing. I found the new OEM Bendix's to be of different length and that was part of the problem, better to try and get used original parts than buy new OEM. I used almost all the parts of out the parts starter.

ON a B that had a grinding starter i removed the tapered mounting bolt - welded the hole in nose full -pushed starter in -drilled new hole. This let starter gear into ring gear