starter spins out on 63 oldsmobile

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25 minutes ago, Bloo said:

Just put one in it. Seriously. They aren't expensive. When they fail, it is always intermittent. You can play with it if you like. New ones and theoretically good ones lock solid one way, and drag in the opposite direction. It's funny. They almost never stop working in Chrysler gear reduction starters. I've seen them worn so loose you could just spin them in the reverse direction and the crimped outer shell was loose, and still working fine. In Ford sliding pole starters on the other hand, the drive always seems to be the first thing to go, and it wont look or feel like there is anything wrong. If I have one of those apart for any reason it gets a new drive, even if it was working fine. No exceptions. In GM starters, the drives are pretty reliable but they do occasionally fail. You could probably make a good case that in a complete overhaul it should get a new one, but if there are no signs of trouble, I wouldn't call it strictly necessary.

 

In your case though, all signs point to the starter drive. Replace it. You don't even need to tear the starter clear down. Get the solenoid and spring off, take the fork pivot bolt out, take the 2 bolts that hold it all together out. Turn it up on its tail, and take the nose off, while holding everything else down. You might need to hold down on the center of the shaft with a screwdriver or something. The goal is to not slide the armature out of the brushes, which are at the back. Keep track of any washers in front of the drive so you can put them back the same. Slide the new drive, fork, and nose back on and start the bolts. The only annoying part of this teasing the fork around so that it is properly engaged to both the starter drive and the solenoid plunger and you can get the pivot bolt back through the hole in the fork. That might take a few minutes.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

I agree and I have suggested that we replace it to my friend a few days ago.  I gave him the link on Amazon.  Plus a down east supplier here in Canada also has one.  Half the cost of Amazon, but by the time it lands out west the shipping will bring it up to equal cost of Amazon.  My friend isn't concerned about the cost though.  He contacted the auto electric place and they said they will gladly replace the starter drive after the holiday break.  Even though I would prefer to do the job myself out of curiosity.  But it's his call.  So in a few days, I'll pull it back out and he'll take it back to the auto electric place to replace the starter drive.

  

But that will take away all the fun.  I enjoy discovering why things go wrong as opposed to just having someone else replace components.

 

Merry Christmas to you too

[EmTee]

I've lost the bubble here...  Has the starter drive been replaced or not?  If so, maybe the new one was a little stiff and just needed some time to break-in.  If it's still the old starter drive that's now working I guess your buddy likes playing Roulette! 

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2 hours ago, EmTee said:

I've lost the bubble here...  Has the starter drive been replaced or not?  If so, maybe the new one was a little stiff and just needed some time to break-in.  If it's still the old starter drive that's now working I guess your buddy likes playing Roulette! 

No it hasn't been replaced yet.  It determined that it was in good working order by the auto electric people.  As was the starter itself and the solenoid.