Seems that the starter drive or bendix is giving issues. It seems to give what sounds like a bind of dead batter click.
Ordered a new starter but had a slightly different drive. Might have been for manual flywheel. It worked for about 10 starts and then stuck and gave me a crazy sound.
So I installed back to the old starter and got the car moved.
Anyone have an old starter drive in known working condition? Don't need the whole starter. Or a part number for the correct drive. I see just the drives for about 150+. But it seems to look like the new one on the new starter.
Well pulled the starter and look like the drive is extended and doesn't ratchet back in. It seems like there are a few tricks to solving that. But I don't have a bench grinder at the moment.
Update
The the starter drive pushed out farther than it should and required resetting the bendix(no need to correct) the drive end. . On the new starter the bendix is seemingly stuck in the outermost engaged position. I was able to reset my old drive and will install tomorrow. Just want to know what causes this? Like a spring washer failing or something? The starer was working fine for a few years until I finally felt an odd binding click like a dead battery.
There are two style of drive swirls. The second pic shows the simple clip tool I made to move the drive back into place after taking it all apart.
Other tricks are out there on YouTube. But those only work for the large 1/8" corkscrew drive
Installed the starter and works no problem. The new one I bought seized out too far and would need a press to take apart. Event o pull the pin. But is returnable so away it goes.
Interesting ! Never heard of this before, are you sure they are different starters for manual flywheel and auto converter ring gear ? possibly a difference between the flex plates on early Fordomatics. There has also been talk about the rivets breaking or flex plates cracking, which could result in axial movement of the converter and therefore also the ring gear?
Glad you were able to solve this. I have also been working on my spare Y block lately and have had all of my starters in hand just the other day. I will check the Bendix drives more thoroughly.
There are different bendix drive designs. Maybe my wagon got what available now. Because it look like the same as the new one and it worked.
My buddy took on out of a CS and it looked like the one with the discs at the end.
But if you check YouTube this starter drive issue seems to happen so much there are different fixes for them.
The easiest is to use an FE starter.
Thanx for the head up Abe. Never got any of these problems, but I'll be prepared if it ever happens.