My starter motor will spin but the pinion gear will not always engage. What can be the problem?

Not always, or never?

I had an inline 4 on a VW transaxle years ago that would do that (push the starter button repeatedly and listen to the bendix skip off the ring gear till it would engage and make the contact, ting, ting, ting,.... ).


Fix on my end was to grind the alignment ring around the nose of the starter housing down on one side and slot the bolt holes slightly (it was known as an 'unsupported' starter among the VW crowd, on the 'supported' ones the starter shaft was longer and would engage a bushing in the transaxle housing).

Hope that helps.

Still has the factory foot starter to the right of the throttle? If so not alot that can be the problem other than the starter drive (sometimes call a bendex but not technicaly correct. remove the starter and the drive pinion, should rotate on the armature shaft only in one direction (and have a slight drag). most likely yours is shot & will freewheel in either direction. If it makes a grind noise could be a worn flywheel ring gear as well.

Yes - still has the factory foot starter. IF the drive pinion is shot can I buy a new one and who would have it? Really hope the flywheel ring is not worn.

Is it correct to say that this starter and flywheel were working fine together awhile ago?
Pull the inspection cover if you want to look at the teeth.

Looking at RockAuto's website, they have a starter drive listed for $8.25, should that be your problem...

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?a=G-autoparts

looks like they have 4 or 5 available. Any idea what the difference between them?