Starter motor pinion/ Bendix gear not engaging with flywheel

This video is all about the Bendix gear on a starter motor. This is the gear that rises up and engages with the ring gear around the flywheel. When things go wrong with this gear it can not rise up or disengage before the motor is started. This video looks at how these gears work and how to fix them when they go wrong.
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[@kassandrapage4379]

Great great video. Explanation was as clear as can be.......this is the best video of this type that I have ever seen. Keep up the great work. Wish all videos to explain and understand concepts were this clear. Great job.

[@whowho4274]

Thank you. This saved my vacation this summer. Bendix wouldn't engage day 2 of vacation. New starter not available for two weeks. Watched this video, tapped bendix lightly with wrench. Unfroze and engaging. Back to fun.

[@anotherengineer4021]

Can’t say how thankful I am for this video. My Ford Focus has been having a stuttering starting issue and from day one I figured it was probably something within the starter based on the symptoms. I posted all my symptoms on some Ford forums and everyone just pointed me towards my battery over and over. This excess friction on the starter motor shaft is definitely my problem.

[@11coffeeman]

Thanks for this. Now I understand. I had what I thought was a bad starter. I cleaned and lubed the bendix and all is now well.

[@DangarMarine]

Excellent!

[@william.2102]

My starter quit engaging with the flywheel on my 1998 Nissan Frontier P/U. Thought it was my battery so tried a jump with same results. Looked at several vids on KZbin and found your explanation on how it all works. I plan to follow your procedure and hope to get it working again without buying a new starter. Excellent explanation, now I can troubleshoot more effectively. Thanks.

[@GoldRatEngineering]

mate everytime i have an issue with a boat over the last god knows how many years i can always find a video with a solution from you, legend!

[@ckvisme]

Great video, I've changed 10+ starters over the year and have never understood quite how the bendix worked. Thx

[@coldh4nd]

I installed a new starter motor 2 years ago as the old one was shot, new one worked like a charm but recently has had this issue of not staying engaged/not even trying to engage, behaviour is constant but random if that makes sense. I’ve been looking online for anyone to help me understand how and why this could be and you my man are brilliant. I have no doubt this is the cause on my boat and will give this fix a go and let you know. Thanks for sharing. It really is appreciated.

[@dennismcfadden7066]

Just watched this and my eyes were opened! My boat is in the harbor, I invite people out fishing and the Bendix spins every other time. Frustrating in the dark early am. I've been pulling the cowling off, tapping the starter motor (couldn't think of what else to do) and it would engage. Once warm it would engage all day. Now it seems clear that cleaning is needed. Excellent teaching style- I subscribed.

[@chrisbernacki1012]

This happened to me this morning at 4am at the boat ramp. I thought i was going to have to purchase a new starter or get mine fixed. Excellent explanation. Saved me some $$$$. Thank you O

[@rendallwagner]

This saved me money and time. Thank you so much for the detailed explanation, I almost wasted money on a new solenoid. Followed your instructions (without removing the actual gear as it was a different circlip arrangement), thoroughly cleaned and lubed, and it worked amazingly!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome mate, glad it's working now. :)

[@endeavourniche9001]

Thank you very much for taking the time to explain how the Bendix / Pinion gear actually works and in a way that most anyone can understand. As soon as you explained how the gear actually rises on the shaft, I knew what the problem was. This starter in a Nissan D21 has been sitting for 13 years. Thanks again.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Steve, glad the video helped you. :)

[@MaximumZargon]

All instructional videos should be so clear! Absolutely spot-on.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate! :)

[@MrDelta-ek3sr]

This video has been a great tool for me. It has helped me diagnose a problem as very new and inexperienced boat owner. This is also so helpful understanding the physics of it as someone who is just starting to study engineering. Thank you for being awesome!

[@elmerexpress]

Kinda fun to watch this old vid and thus see how much better you have become at presenting. Skill level high as always!

[@michellepetesentvala7740]

Many Thanks! I realize that this is an older thread, but much appreciate the detailed tutorial, (especially the insights/comments regarding inertia of the pinion). I'm currently up in the Wrangell St. Elias mountains of Alaska, fighting mosquitoes while fixing the starter on my Arctic Cat snow machine for next winter; (the pull-starter is back-breaking work), and really appreciate this thoughtful tutorial with an engineering context. Much appreciation for the thorough tutorial.

[@KidCoyle]

Thank you very much. Clear voice, clean audio, great quality visuals, and very thorough explanation. Excellent video.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks James, glad to hear you liked the vid. :)

[@rinkrat55]

My 3 L Mer-Cruiser does this. Fantastic explanation. Although I knew how a starter works, I still learned a lot. Thank you.

[@RiceEyes420]

Cheers from NZ mate! Easily fixed my Force/Mercury 50hp Starter Motor with the help of this video, Bendix was toast, it was engaging on the ring gear but spinning on itself! found one on the shelf for 75bux 😁🤟 2min fix!!

[@rickstrama9977]

Best KZbin video I've ever seen. Very informative and help me understand how the bendex works!!!! Awesome!

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Rick!

[@bulletsandcaskets45]

Word

[@robertphol224]

Have a 1973 Allis-Chalmers tractor with a marginal starter. Was going to buy a replacement starter, but contacted a friend of mine who knows this stuff better than I do. He suggested WD-40 be sprayed on the shaft/gear to address what you mentioned: gummed up works. I haven't tried it yet, but your video was very thorough and helpful, showing me the details of this. Very helpful. Thanks for posting. :)

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome mate, hope you get your starter working. :)

[@Redneck_Patriot]

Just did this for my lawn tractor that I use to push snow. Every cold snap it wouldn't work if it was warm out it would start up no problems. Took it all apart and cleaned it with some electrical contact cleaner, then used some dry graphite lube for the bendix spline and shaft. That things starts like it never had a problem. Thank you for this awesome simple video.

[@sorenolesen2285]

Throughly detailed, and exactly what's happening with my car. Great job explaining this problem.

[@kikcodog]

This was a big help. After watching I was able to quickly get my starter motor on my lawn tractor to work properly again! Thanks!

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome, glad it helped you. :)

[@AlexPetrescu1]

Thanks for the video. We were able to "fix" the starter motor pinion just by trying to take it apart (it got unstuck and started working well).

[@jeffb8562]

You’re the man. I just ordered a new starter. Fried one after an unplugged tether issue. I’m going to rebuild

[@briangrosse2099]

Thanks for the demonstration. Great detail in understanding the mechanics of the parts. Your solution saved money and time out of the water. Engine started right up!

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Brian, glad it helped you. :)

[@brynjaminjones]

This is absolutely one of the best instructional videos I've seen, thank you. I'm having a similar issue to what you described with my '74 Ford F100 - now to get that motor off!

[@scottjohnston8044]

I hope you get this. I have a ford f100 custom with the 360 and I am getting spark to the distributor cap but not to the plugs. Any suggestions.

[@brynjaminjones]

@@scottjohnston8044 If you're getting spark to the cap but not the plugs, there isn't much it could be. I would thoroughly check the condition of the rotor and clean the contacts inside the cap.

[@scottjohnston8044]

Thanks

[@sarge6074]

i, an amateur, spent countless hours fitting n refitting the starter motor. Even the electrician couldnt figure it out. now I finally understand the problem. Thank you so much Dangar

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome, I hope it works for you.

[@malcolmwichmann8359]

Brilliant. Cleaned Hitachi / Tohatsu outboard Bendix starter as you demonstrated. Thanks.

[@Beobout6]

Great explanation and visual demonstration of a starter. Thank you so much, this really helps. 👍🏻

[@Jacob-br8td]

Thank you so much! You are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Was worried I would have to replace the starter. Took it apart and cleaned the spindle and now it engages perfect and the engine starts so much easier! Thank you for taking the time to help us out!

[@DangarMarine]

Glad to hear this was your problem and it's now working well again. :)

[@woosherdooser357]

Aww mate I think you've just solved my problem with a 60 HP Yamaha 2 Stroke. Its exactly what its doing.. Thank you heaps man... From New Zealand

[@DangarMarine]

Glad to hear the video helped, good luck!

[@thinkingimpaired5663]

In the first 3 minutes of your video explains exactly what my starter issue is. Thank you. Unfortunately somebody stole my ring spreader.

[@stevemuckenhirn2957]

Dude,,, ur the best to watch. Thanks for all the videos u do

[@TheDavidGoldmanphoto]

This is super helpful. My Triumph Thruxton has been sitting for a few months while I wait for parts. Today when I tried to fire it up I only heard a spinning sound. So I know the starter motor is working. Now I have a goal as to what to look for as a possible fix. Thanks again.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome David, good luck with the fix.

[@tidemanngulli9256]

Tanks for a super good video from a young Norwegian. Helpt me a lot

[@getoutdoors8868]

Thanks for the time you have taken to introduce this concept of the Bendix pinion drive gear.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Stephen. :)

[@ashbrown4081]

Thanks for the indepth video mate. I was searching for ages on a youtube video on this. This is what got my mower running again. Kudos to you mate. Keep up the good work.👌👌

[@DangarMarine]

Glad it helped! :)

[@lmd6204]

Great educational and instrumental video! Now I understand how these work in order to repair it.

[@mattwaldronoutdoors]

Can’t thank your enough. Got my boat back on the water. Luckily it locked up at end of the day at the dock so easily fixed at home with your video. Bigly thanks 👍🏼

[@DangarMarine]

You're very welcome, glad it helped!

[@ronnyb20]

Man great video. It's nice to see some actually knowledge being spread to our youth. I'm a young mechanic and knowledge like this is hard to come by.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, glad you like the video. Too often these days I see people replacing parts without really understanding what is going on. All the best with your new career. Being a mechanic can be very rewarding and enjoyable. :)

[@EhWassAmattaU]

100% correct. I have had this problem for years. Lubed the bendix. Changed the cables. No help. Changed the Bendix. Solved the problem. The backside of the teeth were worn, and as the engine "coughed" the bendix lost the bite on the flywheel teeth, and the bendix dropped out. Thanks for the good video!

[@georgehelenfroese8408]

Thank you for that thorough explanation. I think it'll help me to fix my starter

[@JohnMoor1970]

Thank you so much for the tutorial. Pleased to report that I was able to diagnose and fix the starter motor on my law mower as a result - thanks again!

[@keiths8370]

totally BRILLIANT !!! once you understand the working mechnism, logic and answers just start arriving !! people are too quick to say " bendix is shot" buy a new starter motor when in essence all it needs is a CLEAN !!! wow ! thank you so very very much , i feel chuiffed just because of the knowledge ive gained never mind anything else !!!

[@johnkilburn5392]

This is exactly what is wrong with my mower. Thank you for explaining it so well. I actually learned a lot.

[@poppysmith6718]

Excellent sir! Thanks for taking the time to explain the theory and operation, much appreciated. Cheers

[@DangarMarine]

+poppy smith Thanks mate, glad you liked it. :)

[@pensnut08]

9:48 EXACTLY what my Mercury sounds like. I'll have at it tomorrow. Thanks!

[@paweltulik2588]

Amazing knowledge that no one was ever able to explain me in such simple way. Thank you!!

[@DangarMarine]

+Pawel Tulik Thanks Pawel, glad you enjoyed the video. I certainly pulled my hair out trying to fix my starter motor problem until I understood this properly.

[@timenfinger41]

Great video, it helped me very, very much!! Thank you for the excellent detailed information and how to explanations....I would love to see more of these.

[@Bartshinie]

Awesome big thanks for sharing!!! My car did this type of spinning without starting. It's starting now like it should thanks to you! Saved a couple of € because of you, so thank you so much! Awesome content!

[@nickdistasi3813]

Great video. I just took my starter off and cleaned it up like you suggested. Purchased some dry lubricant and put it back together. Its seems to work fine now. I started it 4 times and it started just fine each time. Will try it a few more times over the next few days but it seems like this fixed it. Thanks

[@robertmarsh3046]

Great video -- through explanation of how the solenoid works and how to fix possible problems!!

[@ChristopherOsgood]

Sweet ... you answered my question and I am now able to plow my drive - which has 14" of snow. Thank you for your well presented, clear explanation. Friction was weighing me down and a bit of dry lube was the solution.

[@DangarMarine]

+Christopher Osgood You're welcome, glad to hear you got it fixed up. :)

[@malcolmpalmer7411]

Oh, boy! I am so grateful for this video! Hopefully, you have shown me how to fix my Bendix problem on my Electric Start lawn mower. Thank you.

[@PM_Anthony_Albanese]

This is a fantastic video and its really helped me to understand the Bendix drive a lot better. I have a 265 Hemi which has had the starter overhauled electrically, but it does not shoot the bendix nose out far enough- it just kisses (grinds) the ring gear briefly. I now think its got 40 year old grease gummed in the helical Bendix thread, based on what I saw here. They never cleaned or disassembled the Bendix drive when they overhauled it...

[@DangarMarine]

Hi mate, glad the video helped you understand how these things work. Fingers crosses a good clean will get it working again.

[@KevinBoutelle]

Thank you for the lesson on how these starter motors and bendix's work. I am having an issue with my Ski-Doo and you've explained it perfectly I believe. Now I'm off to figure out how to remove the starter assembly so that I can put this to good use.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome mate, good luck with the repair.

[@dagsadmin03dags36]

Thanks bud great video. Saved me taking to shop waiting for 2 week to get it in . Legend

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Rick, glad it helped you. :)

[@LonBeMe]

Perfect! Saved me $$ and having to mow my lawn with a weed trimmer...again! Hello from Buffalo, NY USA

[@lestersmart8452]

Great Video!!!! Thank you sir for the info about starters!!! You covered everything!!!! Nice job bro!!!

[@Jake-nv8xn]

Should have watched this before replacing the starter. Oh well-- live and learn. Great video!

[@jacklowe3788]

Excellent Video -Thanks Mate! Really appreciate it as I'm having this exact problem on 2002 Merc 60 2 Stroke that I recently purchased w/ only 60hrs on it & had been sitting more than in use over the years -

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Jack, glad the vid helped you. :)

[@TheJutson]

Quality video, potentially saved me hundreds in fixing up an old motorbike. Love it

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Ryan, great to hear it solved your problem. :)

[@Hobbyaddict-dh3di]

Boat season is among us and I’m back on your channel . Love the info this is one of my favourite channels when it come to my boat

[@jimnoble7992]

Thanks for the video....I was told I needed to replace the starter...but when I saw this video, I did the cleaning and reinstalling...The starter works like NEW...Thanks ...

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Jim, it really is all that is wrong most of the time when you get those symptoms.

[@gamecamera46382]

Extremely helpful. Thanks for the video. Working on a '92 Johnson outboard. Great video.

[@Stoparts]

Bravo colleagues. Regards from Turkiye

[@DangarMarine]

Hello!

[@realQuaz77]

Great video. Helped us fix our starter problems on our Mercury engine. Thank you so much!

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Kevin, glad it helped.

[@tmarx88]

Been doing mechanic work on hundreds of cars and this gives me a lot of insight on how it works and how I can stop throwing money away on new starters/bendix/solenoids, etc. My bendix is grinding occasionally on my Fatboy and been driving me nuts so I'm trying this before buying the whole shebang this time. Besides its winter in Minnesota and its inside for the winter so why not. Thanks for the great video.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks Tim, glad you got something out of the video. Some people find this type of theory a bit boring but I figure once you understand how something works then you can diagnose problems so much better.

[@tmarx88]

No problem and thank you for the info. To each their own when it comes to theories because some understand it one way and some in other ways... I didn't think it was all that boring, Thanks again.

[@glennmassengill3532]

Awesome, that cleared up my Curiosity of the Bendix starter! Thanks

[@DangarMarine]

Welcome. :)

[@bobbybass5752]

You are the man, i am a mechanic at a golf course and alot of our equipment have this issue. Since watching your video i have repaired the first 2 i tried...old grease and sand appear to be the issues. Thanks again

[@henriksmedberg2570]

Very professional and good explained. Good sound and picture

[@tmark6504]

Great video. My snowmobile starter is spinning but not starting the engine. Someone online told me it was the bendix but I had no idea what that meant. Now I have a much better idea of what is going wrong. Thank you !

[@DangarMarine]

Glad it helped. :)

[@orthomorph]

Thanks very much for this video. I just got my first boat, and it had been running fine. I caught my son playing in the boat switching the gears without it running. I'm not sure if that is what caused my starter to not work the next time I went out, but it would spin but not engage the flywheel. I put a ratchet on it and it has fixed the problem.

[@DangarMarine]

Hey mate, you're welcome, glad you got it fixed. :)

[@jsetla]

Greatly appreciated this video as we sort out our repeated starter problems. Looks like the top nut of our mechanism is flying off, and the pinion piece gets stuck in the flywheel. We'll see if we can tighten it down more than last time. Thanks again.

[@DangarMarine]

Maybe try a bit of loctite on it too.

[@El_Hombre_89]

Thank you for taking your time and explaining this. I’m having an issue with my Jeep. So this really opened my eyes to how to fix it. Cheers.

[@mcleodhomeservices]

Terrific explanation!!! Thanks for the thoroughness! 👍🏼

[@Jeff034]

You are a bloody genius mate. Fixing my starter motor and your vid sorted it! Thank you!!!

[@DangarMarine]

Glad it helped

[@johnashton1737]

Thanks for the information that l was looking for. Problems with a starter motor turning not engaging engaging

[@frankiekay2989]

Great explanation for this issue. Thank you.

[@m2mark1]

Good video thank you. Very clear and helped me to understand what I am looking for when my starter engages briefly and then disengages.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome, glad it helped.

[@penguinactually]

Cheers man. Nicer to see something that fits the issue exactly, and a full explanation as well vs the BMW forums "Just get a new battery. Replace the Solenoid" kind of stuff. Old-ish starter so either old grease or the wee clutch is worn. Nice and easy

[@randombadgerfpv6558]

What an awesome video. You’ve just saved me over £100 on what I thought was a ruined SM. Managed to clean the gear in situ so it was a double win. 👍🏻 Thanks...

[@DangarMarine]

Great to hear!

[@adambradley3284]

Mercury 500 50hp circa 1972 outboard had this same problem. After cleaning and lubricating did not fix it, I pulled it apart to find that it does not have a ratchet mechanism inside. It uses a solid rubber tyre that when compressed and I assume some centrifugal force is applied, it grips the inside of the casing. Lubrication is what caused the problem. I cleaned all traces of lubricant and used Electrical Contact Cleaner to ensure everything was dry with no residue. Put it back together and it cranked the motor like brand new. I don't know if my Bendix is genuine Merc or after market. Hopefully this helps some folks out there. Thanks Dangar Stu fort all your amazing videos.

[@marktamblyn8521]

Great instructional video. The Bendix can also not engage if your battery power system is faulty, in that its not spinning up the starter quick enough to over-come that inertia you speak about.

[@nabsbags7990]

This video was perfect. Great and clear explanations with perfect use of vocabulary

[@DangarMarine]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nickkucherov9760]

Ended up being a 7 year old dying cranking battery. So never got to the starter. But I feel confident about tackling the starter after watching the video. Thanks.

[@DangarMarine]

Glad you got to the bottom of it, old batteries are often the culprit.

[@dhip3584]

Good vid, audio clear and descriptive narrative sensible! Thank you!

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, glad you liked it.

[@gunslingergg78]

Wow! Thought I had a bad starter while trying to do a compression test and I had all the spark plugs out. Realized the motor spun up fast enough to release the gear. Put spark plugs back in to give some resistance to the starter and boom! Fixed. Thanks for all the videos. Its helped me tremendously along my path of putting together a 96 200 HP Evinrude.

[@abhiaiyer8174]

This is such a good video. Very well explained! I'm facing this problem right now.

[@YoureFavoriteFailure]

Extremely helpful video bud. Clear and to the point. Very informative. Will subscribe

[@chaseplaag]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

[@DangarMarine]

Welcome. :)

[@mudhippy]

This was incredibly helpful, thank you so much.

[@jchedley]

fantastic video. always wondered how it engaged and disengaged. now ill try and fix my non engaging starter. thanks!

[@Byron61a]

Just to add my thanks! Great video.. was about to buy a new starter motor but instead will go back to the shed and try cleaning it up.

[@DangarMarine]

Thanks mate, good luck with getting it going.

[@SailorDan0]

Helpful vid. I have noticed on a bench test (out of the engine 9.9 Tohatsu) that the pinion drifts back down with two different brand new starters. Not a problem if there is any load at all i.e.. the flywheel. Touch with a glove or rag, the smooth outer surface of the shiny silver part to demonstrate a little load. The pinion stays up as it should.

[@chadbarker2316]

Great video! Was going to buy new starter. Saved me money.

[@mohapimohlakoana5938]

Thank you so much about this s information, you saved me a lot of money, exactly the problem I was experiencing, Bendix not engaging with a flywheel, I applied lubrication slightly on the pinion gear, eventually it engaged and turned the engine🫡👏👏👏👏.

[@jonlucas5521]

Thank you very much for this excellent presentation. I was able to "unstick" my Johnson 35 hp engine's starter gear, and added some Lubriplate onto the shaft so it works very "slick" now.

[@DangarMarine]

You're welcome Jon, glad you got yours working. :)