🤔


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And for the record,  there is a Bendix with counts from 9 to about 30. So not real important so long as the diameter is correct for gear mesh.

GT

New battery installed. Cranks over and engages the flywheel then disengages and grinds again. Old battery was one of our issues then. But now I'm thinking the flywheel might be too chewed up. Should I install a couple shims?


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How many teeth on your new starter?


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I think your slave solenoid is wired incorrectly and you have low voltage at the "S" terminal.

To verify,  use a jumper from the battery positive to the "S" terminal on the starter mounted solenoid. If that cracks normal,  the problem is purely electrical.

Might be the wrong starter. We pulled the spark plugs out and turned it over. Starter sounded fine under minimal load. When plugs were re-installed, issue came back again. Carb was removed to begin with so we didn't admit fuel to it. What kind of starter is anyone else running on a 454??


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Wrong starter?

Highly doubt that.

Do you know how the slave is wired?

I've heard the auto parts store starters might not be for this type of application. The starter is wired exactly as it came. One wire in (positive) to slave solenoid, one wire out (to starter), and one wire to ground...?? That sound right?


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Not really,  but I could just be thick. Lol

There should be four wires on the slave solenoid.

There should be three wires on the starter mounted solenoid.

The heavy cable from the positive battery post should go directly to the large lug on the starter mounted solenoid. Also on that same terminal a smaller wire to one of the two large lugs on the slave.

The other large lug on the slave goes to the "S" terminal on the starter mounted solenoid.

The "I" terminal on the starter mounted solenoid needs to go to the ignition coil "+" terminal.

The slave solenoid "S" terminal goes to the ignition switch "S" terminal.

Depending on which slave solenoid you have, the other small terminal goes to ground "G" or nothing (because it will have an "I").....

The "S" terminal is what pulls the Bendix into the ring gear.  If this voltage is to low because of parasitic voltage drop,  it won't pull the Bendix in hard enough doing exactly what you describe.

Just a hunch.

GT

Everything was re-wired the way it came off the old one before this problem came up. The battery was replaced earlier so we know that it's got the voltage going to it. We tested the starter with it off the engine and the bendix gear worked as it should. Should the small wire on the slave solenoid be moved to the other small terminal on there maybe?


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What is the designator lb the terminal?  Do you have a picture?

Here's how it's wired up now


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Have a picture of the other solenoid?

That's it.


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Nope.

There should be another solenoid or relay to be called a true "slave solenoid" set up,  that's just the starter mounted solenoid.


You should install a second solenoid to side step any further issues down the road. You may (or may not) be able to fix the issue temporarily with a new ignition switch,  but would love to see what it does by jumping the starter terminal at the starter first.

JMHO

GT