mawc

Member
I got my starter redone and it has a new style
ratcheting bendix on it and I can't seem to get it
installed it catches on the ring gear or something
any advice?
 
You have to hold your mouth just right while repeating today's
combination of magical cuss words and it will slip right in! :lol:

Seriously, they can be a bear sometimes but tilting the butt end
down and toward the engine a bit seems to help. It also helps
if the bendix is in the retracted position, not spun out on the shaft.

The bendix has to go up, over and behind the ring gear.
Often the hole in the housing is relieved at the 2 o'clock position
to make this easier. Someone here has a good picture of that.
Bruce(VA) I think.
 
Make sure you do not have one for a NAA.they are different.
But like ROyse says, you have to hold your mouth just right.
I have had trouble and just walked away for 10 minutes and when I went back, it slid right in.
 
This is the notched out portion Royce was referring to.
a150709.jpg
 
There are four things that make starter installation easy:

1. Having the correct bendix on the starter 2. Have an egg-shaped hole in the bell housing 3. Technique 4. Plain dumb luck.

I've pulled & installed starters on N's probably 100 times & every now & then, one will bust my chops. The last time it happened is when I found out that there are a few after market bendix's that will fit the Ford starter but are just a bit too long for an 8N as R. Geiger said.

As to technique.........

The starter has 3 major exterior components; front plate, barrel & rear plate. The 2 bolts that hold the starter on to the bell housing go through all three components & hold it all together. To remove the starter, unscrew the bolts out of the block & put a nut on one of them. Otherwise, the starter comes apart. Not fatal, but not fun either. (tip # 36 at the link below) Then, loosen the two bolts holding the oil filter canister to the block, (it does not need to be removed) remove the dipstick, and keep the starter close to the block while pushing the front of it down and lifting the back up. Sometimes you have to remove the drain petcock as well.The bendix is behind the flywheel; your job is to get it over the flywheel.

Caution: while the starter is off, resist the temptation to screw with the bendix. If you extend the bendix, and it is not the OEM bendix w/ the big spring, you will have a hard time getting the starter installed.

To install the starter, keep it close to the block while pulling the front of it up and pushing the bendix back into the hole. The bendix has to go behind the flywheel; your job is to get it over the flywheel. Every 8N I've ever seen has the mounting hole egg-shaped; if yours doesn't, grinding out an egg shape at the 2 o'clock position before you put it back will make your life easier.

Lastly, while the starter is off, polish the block & all starter mating surfaces w/ sandpaper to insure a good electrical ground. First, clean the mating area between the barrel and rear plate. Then, clean the mating surfaces where the aluminum rear plate meets the bell housing. The starter's ground circuit is not only through the two long bolts but from the barrel to the rear plate & then to the bell housing as well.
75 Tips
 
In addition to what the others have said, I think it helps to have a head light on so you see where to point the bendix.
 

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