I installed a new starter. Went to start the engine and the starter only makes a spinning noise with no movement on the engine. Took it off and bench tested it. The solenoid appears to be working (moving the gear in and out) and the gear on the starter spins. I have never seen anything like this before. What could be the problem?
You have omitted a lot of important information.
It's a four cylinder nissan forklift. I know if it was a Toyota, I probably wouldn't be having this problem 🙂
Are the teeth on your flywheel chewed up? Is it the right starter for your car (gear drive correct diameter and starter drive at the correct depth)?
Flywheel looks good. Had the starter rebuilt. The gear it looks good too. Thought maybe the guy who rebuilt it put the starter gear on backwards...but it's correct. I have spent all day messing with this thing with no progress. My neighbor is an auto mechanic and he is stumped also. So thought I would post here to see if anyone has an idea of what else I should be looking at. Thanks for the reply.
Voltage drop. Replace the cables and make sure all ground points are clean
Thanks for the reply. I took the starter back to the shop that rebuilt it. Somehow he had it spinning the wrong direction. Got that corrected and now it starts perfectly.
That would certainly do it. Thanks for the update!