starter slipping

I've got a '48 2A with the F134 under the hood and I've been noticing that every now and then when I go to start the jeep the starter just seems to spin, like it's not catching the teeth on the flywheel. I try it again and it almost always catches and starts up fine. The jeep has been previously converted over to 12V, I'm not sure if the starter was or if it's just spinning really fast. If that were the case, maybe that would cause this?

Thanks,
Evan

 

How often is every now and then? My '55 F134 does that about every month or so..... and has been doing it since I converted it over to 12v 6 years ago. If it isn't doing it any more than that, IMO, just keep on jeep'n and don't worry about it until you need to get into the bellhousing for some other reason.

Come to think of it, when I rebuilt the engine 3 years ago, I did check the ring gear, it was fine. The problem, at least in my jeep, is most likely in the starter itself. But I'm not worried about it as long as it doesn't get worse.

 

Yeah, say if I try to start the jeep 5 times in a day, 2 or maybe 3 of those times it will slip. Maybe a few broken teeth on the ring gear?

 

Bigger problem that what I am having. I would still suspect the starter, but yes, inspect the ring gear to see if you have any broken or worn teeth. My experiance has been if it is the ring gear, you are going to get a lot of grinding noise and/or have to rock the motor to get it to engage.
Let us know what you find.