cant get my 84 ranger started

[bushmonkey]

so as the title says i cant get the truck to start. the engine is a 2.8 and since the day i got it it has always make awful grinding noises as it starts and the starter didn't always engage. it got bad enough that unless i hit the starter with a hammer it wouldn't engage at all, so i replaced the starter and the first time i started the truck it was fine. made a bit of noise but it started right away. anyways i tried to start the truck a second time and the starter just whines now, no grinding noise or anything. the flywheel looks decent, its not brand new but it looks fine. any idea whats going on here??

 

[bushmonkey]

also the starter that came on the truck didn't have shims so the new one i put doesn't either

 

[Andy D]

Is there a difference between a starter for a manual trans VS an automatic? Maybe you have the wrong one. I'm a Ranger noob, and dont know much about them.

 

[bushmonkey]

im thinking its the same for both trans. the guy at the part store today didnt ask me if its auto or standard and online part stores dont have it as an option either.

 

[bushmonkey]

does anyone happen to have a pic of a new flywheel for the 2.8 so i can compare it to mine? the more i think about it the more i think the flywheel is shot, because if the starter is functioning properly and still not grabbing anything it must be the flywheel

 

[wildbill23c]

Ok, it sounds like you need to simply shim the starter, I couldn't get any shims for mine at the parts store, so as a fix I got new starter bolts of the right size, length, and type and came home and found a couple washers that fit the bolts, I then slid the washers between the transmission/engine spacer and the starter and installed the bolts. After i did that I've been running this way almost a week now and haven't had a single problem with my starter since. Before doing this I had to crawl under it every couple days and realign the starter and tighten the bolts as it kept moving itself because the retard previous owner used whatever bolts they had laying around which apparently didn't work.

 

[doorgunner]

.......Unless there's a spot or a few spots on the flywheel with some teeth missing because of the previous starter nawing them off.......

 

[wildbill23c]

.......Unless there's a spot or a few spots on the flywheel with some teeth missing because of the previous starter nawing them off.......

Haha, that can cause problems too LOL, sounds more like an intermittent problem from the OP's description so I would lean towards the starter not staying in proper position.

I don't believe there's a difference in starters between an automatic or manual transmission either. Doesn't ask for m/t or a/t when I select starter, and the auto parts store didn't ask me when I bought my new starter 2 weeks ago, so I doubt they have different starters. Most times you just have to shim the starter until it gives the proper results without grinding or worst case not engaging.

 

[70roadrunner]

i haad the same problem with mine. shims are for chevy's! if it doesnt work right, fix it! i have a napa starter, still has over a year of warranty, if you want it PM me

 

[ericlerouge]

If yours a manual, i would start the truck with compression. stop it. then try to restart. If it's only a bad spot on the ring gear, it'll start.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Have you fully charged the battery. There are no shims for the starter or a different starter for manual. You could have a bad cable/s. How long did you run the engine it takes about 1 hour to replace the juice used on a single start. I am leaning toward cable issues or substandard charging system.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

At 1500 rpm you should see around 14.8 volts at the battery?

 

[killj0y]

if you don't hear anything there either isn't power getting to the starter or its dead. if you hear it engage but no cranking then it isn't reaching the flywheel/ring gear or the flywheel/ring gear is missing teeth or misaligned. In either case I would test the starter to make sure it works, check power and ground leads, have someone crank it and see if the starter is engaging the flywheel. try to turn the fly wheel to make sure the engine isn't seized, etc...but start with electrical and testing the starter to rule those out.

 

[bushmonkey]

thanks for the replies. i dont think its an electrical issue, the starter gear pops out and spins when engaged. and i've tried jumping with a few different vehicles. also the engine isn't seized. when i rock it back and forth when its in gear the belts and everything still starts to turn. im going to remove the starter now and turn the fhywheel and check the teath all the way around because last time i just checked the one spot. might try using a washer as a spacer on the top bolt and see if that helps.

if it turns out to be the flywheel how hard of a job is it to get a new one in there? is it "home mechanic" friendly or would it need to go to a shop.

 

[bigtruck94]

Well if you know how to drop a tranny and all that stuff than ya it's easy. I had that problem too and just two little teeth on the flywheel were gone and blew the starter.