71 351 Cleveland starting/cranking issue

[FirstMach1]

Follow up. The new starter fixed the issue. After being told the starter was good I went down this rabbit hole trying to figure it out.
Thanks to everyone who commented because I learned a lot from this one. Every input was valuable to me.
Thanks to the O’Reillys tech who was smart enough to know a bad starter even when it passed the bench test.

 

[Spaceman]

Had a similar issue with an alternator. First Napa tested it as fine, a different one who had the only other one in the area tested it and said they tested wrong because it failed.

 

[351mach1]

I just went through a similar ordeal trying to get mine running. I bought a fresh "remanufactured" unit from oreillys. Since I live 45 minutes from the part store, I had them bench test it before I left (since this was the third starter I was trying to make work). Well sparks were shooting out of the back of it yet it still tested "good". I didn't bring that one home...have I mentioned how much I hate C.R.A.P.?

 

[rcadd1ct]

I just had the starter tested again. It passed again. However this time the tech was savy enough of a mechanic that he could tell by the sound and play in the shaft that it was bad.
Free replacement going in tomorrow and I’ll let you know.

I ruined my first starter trying to start my engine with the timing wrong.

Too much current messed up the brushes.

After I got the timing right started easy once then nothing.

Just an fyi

 

[FirstMach1]

I ruined my first starter trying to start my engine with the timing wrong.

Too much current messed up the brushes.

After I got the timing right started easy once then nothing.

Just an fyi

That’s good to know! This one wasn’t electrical failure. Turns out the shaft was loose and had a lot of play. So it spun freely on the bench test to easily pass but when under stress in the car it seized up. That’s my best interpretation.