I would appreciate your direction in solving a problem that I don't understand. My '88 Toy pickup (w/22re), after sitting for a couple of months while I had the head worked on, will not turn over to start. I replaced the starter, but it does the same thing the old one did. When I turn the key, it sounds like it throws the bendix gear out and just spins in air. I've turned the crank shaft a few times to 'find' flywheel teeth, but no luck. It's as if there is no flywheel there to engage. I have not touched the bottom end or tranny when I did the work, and the head/top end went back together w/out issue. Someone at work suggested I pull a flywheel 'inspection plate' and check things out, but I don't know what or where that is. Thank you for any help, as this is my winter truck, and winter is coming soon!

 

Sounds like either the magnetic "plunger" isn't working, or it just too short (as in wrong starter)
I have replaced 3 reman starters from Napa. last one sort of worked.

Certain trucks 22REs have a problem with the starter circuit: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f199...l#post51975700
Make sure it's not that.

 

Thanks, EV. I checked for voltage in the control wire to the starter and, nothing. Time to look thru the ignition switch and see where I'm losing my voltage.

 

Don't know what exact truck you have, but I highly recommend working through RAD's write up and adding the relay. It only took me about 20 minutes under the hood and a trip to the store to reliably fix my starting issues. Even if the starter is the wrong one, fixing the starting system will save you headache down the road.

 

Thanks, Neemox. I wired the starter directly with a push button yesterday, with no luck. Still sounds like the starter is spinning, but is not turning the flywheel. The answer is there somewhere.

 

Are you hearing/feeling the solenoid click? If the motor is spinning in the starter housing, but the engine isn't cranking, that is definitely a symptom of the starter gear not engaging the flywheel. My guess would be that the solenoid isn't firing/is stuck. You said this was a new starter? Did you replace the whole unit or just the starter motor.

As a side note, when doing the head work, was that in the truck or was the engine pulled? If the engine was pulled, was the bell housing separated or kept intact? Long shot, but maybe something got screwed up when it got put back together.

 

Have a look at some of the starter rebuilding threads, it's not possible to spin this starter without at least partially extending the drive gear as the solenoid throws the driving gear out it contacts the high current terminals internal to the starter.

OP, you had the head off which means you probably undid the high current ground (battery cable) that will cause an issue if it's not clean and tight (good conduction).

We don't have an inspection plate to remove but there should be a rubber plug located at the bottom of the dust shield between engine and transmission bellhousing, you can get eyes on the teeth from there.

 

Thanks, guys. I took the head off a couple of months ago for some work. I didn't touch the bottom end. Truck started (and ran) just fine until the moment I shut it off to pull the head, meaning that there had been no indication at all of any broken teeth. I'm headed out right now to swap starters with my '86 (w/22re), which is starting just fine. Pray for me!

 

A few reasons we recommend against this sort of behavior.. Well maybe just one, if you do this and it works you have no clear indication of why unless you start removing the starter and it falls into pieces..

Maybe it's a dirty, loose, or otherwise broken connection on one of the wires and while you're changing them out you bump one and get a good connection. Will it stay that way maybe and maybe not..

 

CoyoteJake,
Please always indicate model-year-engine-transmission-trim when describing a problem. It will save everybody time, posts, and those with limited mobile data money.

Yes^^^ This fixes the absolutely proven problem with cranking system wiring. Search "clicknocrank"

CoyoteJake, Are you absolutely sure the starter motor is spinning? Or is it merely trying to spin but actually stuttering (could sound like it's turning) - meaning not enough juice. Not enough juice may be because of
1) bad battery
2) or poor contacts like Co says above
3) absence of starter relay (that's why it's important to state transmission,
4) OR starter relay wired wrong as Neemox mentions above.

Before you remove starter from your GOOD vehicle, Jump starter off the vehicle to see how drive (Bendix) gear actuates.
Take starter out.
Jumper cable negative to starter body, leave other end disconnected
Jumper cable positive to starter solenoid screw terminal, leave other end disconnected
Small wire with female spade terminal to male spade terminal on starter solenoid. Leave other end disconected
Let Assistant step on starter to keep it from jumping.
CoyoteJake to connect jumper cable to appropriate battery posts.
Coyote Jake to touch small wire to positive jumper cable / screw terminal of starter solenoid.
Observe how bendix gear actuates.
Let us know.

 

On the other had he can compare starters to see if he got handed the wrong model / in wrong box / whatever
Watch him install the non-engaging one into the donor truck and the "working" one into this truck and both work fine?

 

Wow, lots of things I didn't think to tell y'all. Thanks for the input. For future reference, my '88 is a 4wd extra cab with a 22re/5 speed manual transmission, and my '86 is a 2wd cab/chassis with a 22re/4 speed manual transmission/dually rear end. I checked the wires at the starter relay connector and got high resistance between the two black wires. I threw my hail Mary yesterday and swapped the starters between the trucks, and nothing changed. The '86 still starts just fine, and the '88 continues to sound like the starter is spinning in space. I checked the flywheel teeth while the starter was out, and everything looks just fine. I'm back into my work week, so it'll be the weekend before I can get back to it. Thanks again to all of you for your time and experience. I'll learn to give out as much info as I can with these things (BTW, I'm the last guy on the planet with no cell phone, so no pictures).

 

It's Alive, praise the Lord! I was debating whether or not to share my humiliation, but I'm hoping my admission of ignorance will save someone else from my frustrating struggle. I finally noticed that the belts were moved after trying to start my truck (so the starter WAS engaging the flywheel after all), and after calling an old friend in desperation, he offered what turned out to be the solution. I had made sure to put everything back together correctly, but I completely missed the fact that when I had new (1mm o/s) valves installed in my head, my rocker arm settings were no longer the same, so bolting everything back together left me with valves that were not closing all the way (which of course let my air/fuel charge blow right out the exhaust), so there was no charge to ignite. So, after adjusting my valves, it started right up. I manually turned the crank shaft a couple of revolutions after bolting everything back together to make sure nothing was going to smack anything it wasn't supposed to, but it never crossed my mind to check the valve clearances. I've always started the trucks and warmed them up to adjust the valves. Anyway, thank you all very much for the input, as I was at my wit's end with this. One last confession, I (forgot that I) put my truck back in gear to 'put it away' for the night, and it scared the crap out of me when, a couple days later, I could no longer spin the crankshaft to find TDC. I had no idea what I had done to possibly freeze everything up, and I was getting quite pissed at myself before I checked to see if it was in gear. I've found that the easiest lessons to learn in life is by watching the consequences of others' mistakes, so here you go.