starter motor spins freely ocassionaly

[suff]

Help-first timer on forum. Starter motor/solenoid start engine 9/10 times. On 10th tiem, starter spins freely when I turn the ignition.Now I have to disconnect the battery and tap on the solenoid, re-connect battery to start. I have replaced starter/solenoid 3 times and still does this. ANy suggestions?
Suff

[biggie]

Flywheel/flexplate is bad? If gears on starter are good then has to be the other side.

[cmkelly]

So you had the problem and replaced the starter/solenoid 3 times thinking you had a bad replacement each time? OR you've had to replace it over the course of time 3 times? I'm with biggie - the starter cranks, engages the soleniod which catches the flywheel and then zroom, zroom. Do you hear clicking the times it doens't engage? Do you have to diconnect the battery before you can get it to work or can you tap it only?

You could have a "flat" spot on your flywheel but that doens't explain having to disconnect the battery.

[suff]

i HAVE REPLACED THE STARTER WITH A NEW ONE ON THREE SEPARATE OCASSIONS WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. tHERE IS NO CLICKING NOISE. i HAVE TO DISCONNECT, TAP THE SOLENOID THEN RE-CONNECT. tHEN IT WILL START.

[btm88]

Next time it spins freely don't disconnect the battery or tap the solenoid, just try to start it again and see what happens. If it spins freely then you're flywheel is probably to the blame, if not then the stater isn't engaging and is getting stuck. But that is very unlikely since you have changed the starter 3 times.

[suff]

Thanks. I couldn't turn the key off last time it was spinning, nor would it do anything when I tried the start again. It just keeps spinning until I disconnect the battery, taking the juice from it. It is perplesing. It almost seems like, when the power goes to the starter, the ignition might be to blame-but I'm reaching.