Starter is stuck to flywheel

[kkjfjns2014]

Hello all, I went out to try and start my 2009 craftsman yts4500 and it turned over 3 times and just suddenly stopped. Now when you try to turn it over it just makes one click and doesn't do anything. Battery is good and charged.

The battery side of the solenoid has 12.6 volts but when you turn the key the starter side only gets 6.4 volts. I took the cover off and noticed the starter bendix was stuck to the flywheel. (Pic attached) I tried tapping it down to no avail. Does anyone have any ideas why this happened or what to do now? Thank you.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Time to replace the starter gear
Either loosen off the starter mounting bolts or turn the engine backwards by hand to loosen the starter drive pinion
If you have nbeen smacking it with a hammer then remove the drive pinion & energise the starter motor to check that you have not bent the end of the shaft .

 

[kkjfjns2014]

Time to replace the starter gear
Either loosen off the starter mounting bolts or turn the engine backwards by hand to loosen the starter drive pinion
If you have nbeen smacking it with a hammer then remove the drive pinion & energise the starter motor to check that you have not bent the end of the shaft .

I took the starter off and stuck power straight to the screw and it didn't turn. I'm assuming that means the starter is bad?

 

[kkjfjns2014]

I took the starter off and stuck power straight to the screw and it didn't turn. I'm assuming that means the starter is bad?

Time to replace the starter gear
Either loosen off the starter mounting bolts or turn the engine backwards by hand to loosen the starter drive pinion
If you have nbeen smacking it with a hammer then remove the drive pinion & energise the starter motor to check that you have not bent the end of the shaft .

I mean I was barely tapping it and the motor would not turn either way until I completely removed the starter. I'm assuming the starter shaft is locked up right?

 

[bertsmobile1]

I took the starter off and stuck power straight to the screw and it didn't turn. I'm assuming that means the starter is bad?

And a ground cable to the body I hope
Some starters have replacible brushes , some don't and others are hard to find
So if it does not spin, nothing to be lost by pulling it apart to see what went wrong
Good chance that while it was jambed & you were energising the starter you burned out one set of windings .

 

[DarkKnyte]

If you put 12+ to the screw and 12- to the case and the starter didn't even flinch, then your brushes are most certainly burned up, and depending on your luck, the stator armature may have a short.

Starters are relatively straight forward to disassemble and service. Worst case, you can't put it back together and have to get another starter anyway. If you aren't interested in a project, just order a used one toss yours. Otherwise, take it apart and see what looks broken. Nobody here is going to know exactly why it isn't working. It's all guess work until you get it open and see what's what.

 

[kkjfjns2014]

If you put 12+ to the screw and 12- to the case and the starter didn't even flinch, then your brushes are most certainly burned up, and depending on your luck, the stator may have a short.

Starters are relatively straight forward to disassemble and service. Worst case, you can't put it back together and have to get another starter anyway. If you aren't interested in a project, just order a used one toss yours. Otherwise, take it apart and see what looks broken. Nobody here is going to know exactly why it isn't working. It's all guess work until you get it open and see what's what.

I'll probably just get another one they're only about $50 new. I did ground it while I was testing it. Thank you all for the feedback. Is there a way to test the stator?

 

[DarkKnyte]

I'll probably just get another one they're only about $50 new. I did ground it while I was testing it. Thank you all for the feedback. Is there a way to test the stator?

Note: I wrote stator, I meant armature. I had my mind on something else when I was replying.

There's no point in testing the armature. It isn't really serviceable, other than cleaning and refreshing the contacts. You can replace the brushes and clean the armature, but the cost delta between servicing the starter and replacing it is relatively low, it may make more sense for you to just replace it.

DIY: How to Test an Armature of a Motor - YouTubeYouTubehttps://www.youtube.com · 4DIYers

 

[bertsmobile1]

The $ 50 ones are junk
They are 2 pole starters that draw a lot more electricity and produce less torque

 

[Forest#2]

Why do you want to test your stator?

Lots of info on-line about how to test.

When asking questions about such you should list the type of engine and it ID info.

You might check with dbelectric for a replacement starter. You need to make a close inspection of all the flywheel teeth on your engine. Your old bendix gear has been going up too high when meshing with the teeth. If just one tooth is bad the whole barrel of apples is will go bad.