lazydrock

Having an issue with my 1996 Mustang GT. She has about 200,000 miles on her. Every time I crank the car it doesn't start, just a grinding noise if you will. The second crank starts the car right up. Any guesses? I posted a video on youtube of the noise. In the video I do it twice so you can hear it and the second time is the best. Thanks and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_pr4WfskJg

Moonshine

Possibly a worn out flywheel or missing teeth? Maybe your starter gear is worn out. Maybe your starter isn't engaging properly.

ESABATM

Sounds like a bad bendix on the starter. Inspect the teeth on the flywheel. I'm betting you have some damage on it from that.

SnakeConvert98

I can tell you for a fact it IS your starter selonoid, now with that said,, you will need to inspect the flwwheel for damaged teeth, the starter itself sounds useable but there in lies another problem, with that many miles even if you can just replace the selonoid the starter wouldn't last much longer!

Pull the starter and take it to a local parts store (like autozone) which has a tester, have them test it, if not happy with price go to a late model salvage yard and get a used one.

If the teeth on the flywheel are really chewed up you don't have to replace the whole flywheel, the ring gear on it is replaceable but, needs to be pressed off and (new one) pressed on. Trans will have to come to pull the flywheel!!

There are tricks to doing that also (without going to a machine shop), you can knock the old one off with a center punch an hammer. If irc you can freeze the flywheel not the ring and the ring will fall right on, OR you can heat the ring gear in the oven and accomplish the same thing.

Someone correct me if i am wrong, i'm sure they will,,,,,,,,,!!

This is assumeing you can buy a ring gear seperate like you used to be able to, and, if the ring isn't welded on!!(never seen one yet that was!)

Good luck!!!!!!

cliffyk

It's the solenoid and/or the drive gear throw-in lever being weak or crudded up. In addition to making the high current electrical connection between the battery and the starter motor, the solenoid also pulls on a lever that pushes the drive gear into engagement with the flywheel. Over the years and miles crap builds up in the starter that makes the solenoid plunger sluggish, and jams up the lever's motion.

Though this is commonly referred to as the "Bendix" as other's have said however it really isn't. I use that term all the time too (learned it from my father like many others I suspect) but a Bendix drive is really a drive gear "threaded" on to helically cut shaft. It is lightly spring loaded to keep it retracted but when the motor starts the gear's inertia makes it spin more slowly than the starters shaft and it moves outward on the helical spiral, and engages the flywheel. When the engine starts and the starter motor stops the engine kicks the drive gear back onto the shaft and out of engagement.

Very ingenious, but a real PITA maintenance-wise--it was not uncommon to pull the starter once or even twice a year to clean and grease the "Bendix"--I learned other words from my father on those occasions...

You need a new starter, before you start (no pun intended) damaging the flywheel teeth...