Starter motor issue. 1997 mercy 40 4 cyl

[Bill kubiak]

Battery was weak, charged it up till the charger said Full, turned on the water, hit the starter and nada.
Opened up the hood and watched it as I hit the starter, the little gear on the starter is not flying up into the flywheel, the starter motor is spinning counter clockwise, is that correct?
If I turn it by hand the other way the gear raises up, what????????

 

[gm280]

Sounds like it is time to do some cleaning and lube on your starter and bendix... Make sure your starter solenoid is in good condition so it applies enough current to the starter as well. Hearing one click and having one that applies enough current through it to the starter are two different things. The solenoid can and does get burnt contacts inside and can cause starting issues as well. You can jumper around the solenoid to see if that is the issue though... JMHO!

 

[Silvertip]

Turning counterclockwise is how gears work. Motor turns counter clockwise to make engine turn clockwise. If it was belt driven it would be same direction for both. Likewise, if you turn the bendix by hand it rises. The motor inertia is what runs the bendix up the shaft. Clean the grooves and do not use oil or grease. Light spritz of a silicone based spray like Tri-Flo is all that's needed. You said the starter motor is spinning so the solenoid is good.

 

[hotrod53]

Maybe your starter is weak, but definately check and lube the bendix first. Don't let a starter disassembly scare you, there isn't much to it, you will however have to make a tool out of thin sheet metal to hold the brushes in place during reassembly. I took mine apart and cleaned all of the gunk out of it, checked the brushes, polished the armature, lubed the bushings, and pit it back together.