Starter justs spins nothing else - 1989 Mercury Cougar

Depends on type of starter motor, some have a bendix some are pre engage.
If bendix the shaft may need lubricating to allow the dog to move.
If pre engage type, check for a faulty solenoid.

Car will not start how ? A crank- no - start or a no crank - no - start < meaning when you turn the key to the start position does anything happen ? Starter engages an spins the engine an doesn't start an run ! Or when you turn the key to start the position nothing happens ? Who told you it was a fuse ? Are there any light's lit on the instrument cluster , SECURITY ? If Nothing happens Find the starter relay an jump pin's 30 & 87 , if nothing is wrong with starter , battery , battery cables it should spin the engine . Is your vehicle automatic transmission or stick ? Automatic has a neutral safety switch , won't let vehicle engine spin unless in park or neutral . Manual has clutch switch , won't let starter engage unless the clutch pedal is pressed . Both of these switches can go bad . There are videos on youtube on basic electrical trouble shooting . Also on testing starter circuit . How to voltage drop test starter motor circuit

i cant dope out that symptoms.

does it crank or not. be clear there.

no car starts (but my 6sp) if it dont crank.

on A/T cars cranking is a first thing. so does it.?

Solenoids do not spin, the stroke only , it a linear motion.

the Sol. moves the pinion and the main contactor switch only.



my guess is the Starter spins and the crank don\'t spin,

you hear the starter motor spin up, it sings. like bird.

that means the starter /solenoid are bad. (crude)

if the battery is good and or jumper starting off a running car.



It can just be a dirty starter pinion, clean it , repeat.

fixed many for this. i have.



battery cable lugs clean, and good. no green rust.

bad cable usually just make a loud THUNK sound. no spin.

two things can happen
first the starter will spin but don't trow the Bendix (shaft) to engage with the flex plate
second flex plate have worn spot and the starter spin on dead spot
turn the engine with hand little and start again.
if the starter work normal the engine will turn.
if nothing happen the starter is bad

Bad ground.

Try having someone turn the key while you hit the starter with a hammer. The starter might be sticking.

If the lower pulley on the front of the engine does not turn when the starter is engaged then the problem is either that the flywheel is missing teeth (usually very noisy) or the bendix drive in the starter has broken. That is replaceable if you are good with that kind of thing but if the starter is old, it may not be worth the effort. (so just change the starter). There could also be a problem with the front pulley but that is extremely rare.

nothing else to check mate u need a new starter motor if its not spinnin.

Well first you have to remember that starters are basically the same on all engines. I've worked on all of them. If you hear it spin up the starter but nothing happens, then it is probably a bad solenoid. It happens more than you would think. When you hit your ignition, your starter spins up, but that little solenoid is the one that is supposed to push the little gear on the end of the starter out to the flywheel and lock into place to start the ignition process. But if it does not work then the starter will just sit where it is and spin and not do anything.

Check battery voltage should be 12v. Have battery load tested. If good recharge, then with a voltmeter across battery terminals try to start engine. If battery voltage drops below 9.5v starter has failed.