3400 starter issues

It's never ending haha. Finally worked my way around this thing and got it running great. Now the starter doesn't always engage, it spins and sounds like it hits the fly wheel but takes 20 plus tries before it engages and turns the engine over. I pulled it and the teeth on the starter gear look good, as to the teeth on the flywheel minus some slight galling from the starter gear where it must not be lining up.

Doesn't appear to be adjustable outside of a shim or so. It's never had this issue until now. Maybe 300 starts since I've had it.

Side note, high range on this thing is stupid, 6x4 trans and crumby drum brakes brings the pucker factor to 11 haha
 

I may have forgotten to add my question, what should I look at or for to remedy this starter issue. The clutch also started not releasing fully every time when thus started happening. What's the easiest what to check for excessive end play in the crank? I'm not hearing any noises outside of the normal engine running. I'd rather not split it if I don't have to, I don't the the loader will come off willingly
 
Don't know what you've been doing, but are the flywheel or clutch plate screws coming loose? Did you
use cheap screws, not torqued enough? I suppose you could check that with a pry bar through the starter hole. Or watch it when someone presses on the clutch pedal.
 

Nothing major, never split it. I bought it last fall from an elderly guy who never took care of it. Gave it full tune up, rebuilt the carb, new fuel pump and sediment filter, new exhaust manifold and pipes. Still need to order filters and t-stat. Up until this weekend, it never skipped. Alway positive engagement even though the motor itself had it own issues that I've slowly repaired as time and money allowed. Now the motor is running good, other stuff is failing. It's a crazy cycle
 

Try a new bendix first.. to see if it will stay engaged... yours may have a problem. Just replaced on on an 8n that was bouncing bad, and the new starter drive fixed it.
 

Funny you said that, my parents stopped by to play with the kids for easter. My dad gave me a hand on my last side of replacing the rear brake on my wife's van. We talked about the tractor and when we were done with the van we looked at the tractor. First thing he said was something about the bendix, I've never heard of that part haha. It finally started and he was leaning towards that. He knows way more about the older hardware then I do. I'll be looking those parts up later
 

Is the bendix the drive portion with the gear or the solenoid, the search with the word bendix is bringing up the manufacture
 
The bendix is the one way clutch/pinion gear that drives the flywheel. If everything engages when you turn the key, that one way/overrun clutch action keeps the running engine's flywheel from spinning the starter to pieces before it gets a chance to disengage.
 

I guess editing is off. Would a normal starter test verify the bendix issue or should I look closer at the drive for visible issues. I'm going to pull it tomorrow, weather permitting
 

Pulled it, it's a wilson 4 1/2" starter. The brush fittings are stripped, the nose cone is ground down down and a piece broke off. I know pictures would help but all the hosting sites suck from my phone. My manual doesn't show the gap for the drive gear for the 4 1/2" but it does for the 5 inch model.

I pulled drive end housing assy off and found the bushing on the end pushed out, drove it back in. The drive assy looks ok. Return spring ok. Found the notches in the drive lever worn alittle so I bent them out just alittle. I reassembled everything and reinstalled on the tractor. Still just spins, you can hear the drive lever pull in.

Took the starter off and used jumper cables to the battery to jump the starter, the drive assy engages and spins as it should. Checked for play in the fly wheel and there isn't any. I don't have the stuff to fully test the starter to see if it's getting the power it needs or measurements so a full tear down and test is above what I can do right now. I'm wonding if a new starter or rebuild is needed.
 
Sounds like that slip clutch on that lil gear is toast. No safe way to test that I know of. Basically the torque of the starter motor is overcoming the tension on the bendix. Mine looked like an old school smallblock ford starter....
 

I've seen the drive assy still available. There is what looks like a bearing on the drive assy. That felt stiff but I could still turn it will alittle effort, I'm wondering if that's the clutch. There was also a thick grease substance spun about the drive cover, I'm wondering if that was fluid from the slip clutch
 

Had buy a starter so I could move a pile of dirt since I couldn't wait for a drive. Started right up. I'll be ordering a drive for this one eventually so I'll have a spare
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top