Starter turning engine backwards

Michael Soldan · Dec 3, 2018

Sounds crazy but is it possible ? A guy on our truck form rebuilt his tranny, put a new battery in the truck and its a no start, he checked further and says the starter is turning the engine backwards, can't wait to hear your thoughts

Mike(NEOhio) · Dec 3, 2018

Did he play with the starter? It's possible to reverse the rotation with the internal connections but it will not drive the flywheel.

old · Dec 3, 2018

Next to impossible to have a starter turn and engine backwards unless he has the wrong starter. The bendex will not let that happen and battery connection be it + or - ground does not change rotation

Michael Soldan · Dec 3, 2018

He claims he removed the starter to swap transmissions, and now he claims the starter is turning the motor backwards. I didn't think a Bendix would spin out into the flywheel if it is turning backward. His thread is on Canadian Mustang Owners Club under F150. I can't think of an explanation for his claim unless he is wrong about which way the engine is spinning, but he claims it won't start and it was running before...which does give some credence to his claim

Sprint 6 · Dec 3, 2018

That uses a permanent magnet starter, that could theoretically turn backwards if the battery is backwards, but would still be fighting the helix, and would have let smoke out of electronics. He could have hooked the cables up backwards, most modern Fords have the positive on the starter and a ground to the starter bolt, but there would still be a smoke show.

Janicholson · Dec 3, 2018

A permanent magnet starter with a weird drive could turn things backwards if the battery is put in backwards, but things like the alternator will fry. Batteries can be charged backwards, but as noted (unless it is a P magnet with weird drive, it still turns the same way. Jim

Mule Meat · Dec 3, 2018

Changed the transmission...

Have him check the old transmission VRs the new one.

If the starter bolted from the front on one transmission and from the rear on the other.. Yes the engine could turn backwards.

K Effective · Dec 3, 2018

It's probably a South American Ford starter on a Canadian F-150. See, below the equator starters spin clockwise, above it they spin counter-clockwise. Simple fix. Ship the truck to Chile or Argentina and it will work just fine. :wink:

buickanddeere · Dec 3, 2018

(quoted from post at 19:30:52 12/03/18) It's probably a South American Ford starter on a Canadian F-150. See, below the equator starters spin clockwise, above it they spin counter-clockwise. Simple fix. Ship the truck to Chile or Argentina and it will work just fine. :wink:

Beat Answer I have seen on here for a long time .

Michael Soldan · Dec 3, 2018

I like your answer best !

JF in MI · Dec 3, 2018

You're going to see a lot more problems just like this with pot being legalized everywhere.

Steve@Advance · Dec 3, 2018

The ONLY possible way that a Ford starter could turn the engine backward would be if an opposite rotation starter had been swapped for the correct one.

As in a marine engine or some weird reverse rotation engine application.

Simply reversing the rotation of the starter motor would not let the drive clutch turn the motor. It would take a completely different starter.

T.R.K. · Dec 3, 2018

I bet the battery is hooked up backwards.

If the starter has permanent field magnets, it can turn backward if the polarity is reversed. I say 'can' because I saw one once that had many other problems with the battery backward, but the starter still turned the same way.

Over the years I have seen many lawnmowers that had batteries installed backward. The complaint is usually 'I just put a battery in and now the starter is bad. it just spins'.

Ralph, Ohio · Dec 3, 2018

Must have gotten a starter from a Harley golf cart!

centash · Dec 3, 2018

Ask him if the oil light goes out when he cranks it, or the gauge shows pressure. If they do, then it's turning the right way. If they don't, it's still turning the right way but he left a wire off the starter.
Ben

Mutt and Jeff · Dec 4, 2018

if it's on the internet
IT HAS TO BE TRUE!

Stroby · Dec 4, 2018

I have a friend with an IH, don't recall the model, and when he bought a new starter it turned the motor backwards. Discovered it by watching which way the fan blade was turning. Turns out that some starters do indeed turn different directions. He called the parts store about it, they re-ordered the correct one.

Butch(OH) · Dec 4, 2018

Hehehehe, at least no expert wannabe has told him told him to reverse the battery leads,,,,,, yet

A starter can run backwards but only if the fields are wired up wrong during a rebuild. But even so the clutch in the bendix wont allow it to turn the engine unless it is also changed too. Your buddy isn't telling the whole story, simple as that.

dr sportster · Dec 4, 2018

Did someone rebuild the starter and put the brushes in reverse or 90 degrees out ?

Inno · Dec 4, 2018

Either he is mistaken about the rotation and has something else wrong or he's not telling the whole story, plain and simple.

JL Ray · Dec 4, 2018

Tell him that he's turning the key the wrong way. Most turn clock wise. Have him turn it counter clock wise.

john *.?-!.* cub owner · Dec 4, 2018

(quoted from post at 21:53:09 12/03/18) Must have gotten a starter from a Harley golf cart!

ut to do that he would have had to put a V belt around the flywheel. :shock:

muleboss · Dec 4, 2018

Turn the tractor 180 degrees and then put starter in. Tractor is facing wrong way.

Inno · Dec 4, 2018

Just went and read his post. Pretty vague on the details but he does state that "a relay or fuse popped i think. something popped"
I'd have to guess wrong polarity........it's hard to know just from a brief description and not really knowing the experience level of the person doing the work.
I help out some of the classic car guys around here with their electrical systems. One of them, super nice guy, great car builder, decades of experience called me this spring, couldn't get his '55 Chevy to start. Had new battery etc. Well he'd put the battery cables on backwards..........after I found it and we had a good laugh he said he thought it was odd that he had to extend one of the cables so it'd reach the battery terminal.....
Luckily, it didn't do any damage to the car and he's got pretty much every fancy aftermarket part known to man, digital dash, aftermarket heating/cooling, remote door poppers, power gas door(behind tail light), electric fan, the list goes on. It all survived! Didn't even blow one fuse.

RN · Dec 5, 2018

Know a guy that needed Ford starter for car, grabbed box off shelf for another mechanics project in shop- 2 engine boat with Ford engines and one was meant to run backwards, starter was reversed rotation. Some cussin' about keep your thieving paws off my parts, etc. Old inertia drive bendix starters didn't have nose and some were put in transmission side, same mounting pattern for engine side- Ford had them in use until about 1964 for light trucks, cars and later for some industrial units. Same exact starter would fit opposite side mounting and run backwards. OHV engines and pushed out by solenoid drives usually one way mount and turn--but the engine application sometimes meant backwards running- Marine applications best known but doubled engines to transmission drive occurs. GMC 6-71s for M4 tank family and some construction equipment known. RN.

Bob · Dec 5, 2018

(quoted from post at 13:42:17 12/05/18) Know a guy that needed Ford starter for car, grabbed box off shelf for another mechanics project in shop- 2 engine boat with Ford engines and one was meant to run backwards, starter was reversed rotation. Some cussin' about keep your thieving paws off my parts, etc. Old inertia drive bendix starters didn't have nose and some were put in transmission side, same mounting pattern for engine side- Ford had them in use until about 1964 for light trucks, cars and later for some industrial units. Same exact starter would fit opposite side mounting and run backwards. OHV engines and pushed out by solenoid drives usually one way mount and turn--but the engine application sometimes meant backwards running- Marine applications best known but doubled engines to transmission drive occurs. GMC 6-71s for M4 tank family and some construction equipment known. RN.

I have to agree with you and Steve, the starter motor and drive didn't simply reverse themselves.

Maybe someone played a prank on the guy, or somehow else the starter got swapped with a unit that made for a different application, or to be really FAR OUT on this, maybe he swapped the bellhousing without thinking about it but he didn't install the same starter in the same location and have it suddenly crank the engine backwards!

Starter turning engine backwards

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