Starter spins but won't engage engine - 1988 Ford Taurus

Sounds like your pinion/bendix gear is not reliably extending fully to engage the flywheel. There are three common causes of this: (most common) Dried up grease or dirt on the threads of the starter shaft and the pinion/bendix. Failing overrunning/one-way clutch in the bendix
replace starter.

If the starter is 'spinning fast' and is NOT turning over the engine, it's possible that the pinion gear is not engaging. When you turn the ignition switch, the starter motor is energized, and the electromagnet inside the body engages. This pushes out a rod to which the pinion gear is attached. The gear meets the flywheel, and the starter turns. This spins the engine over, sucking in air (as well as fuel). At the same time, electricity is sent through the spark plug wires to the plugs, igniting the fuel in the combustion chamber. Is this the symptom your car has? The starter is spinning but the engine is not turning over?

Return starter bc the starter solenoid is not engaging bendix, which engages the starter teeth into the flywheel..

Check timing belt first , check starter also .

check your flywheel & starter, one or both will be missing teeth, or the starter isn't "throwing out" yo engage flywheel

You have one of two problems: Either the starter drive on your starter is defective and is not engaging the flywheel to crank the engine, or the flywheel has some broken or damaged teeth that are preventing the starter from engaging.
Starters come in a variety of designs. On some, the solenoid is mounted on top of the starter. When you turn the key, the solenoid routes current to the starter motor and at the same time pulls a lever that slides the drive gear mechanism out so it will engage the flywheel and crank the engine. If the solenoid is weak or damaged, it may not be strong enough to overcome the spring tension that retracts the drive gear. So the starter spins but doesn't crank the engine.
On other starters, the solenoid is mounted remotely. When the starter motor starts to spin, it ratchets out so the drive gear will engage the flywheel and crank the engine. If the drive mechanism is damaged or hung up, the motor may spin but not crank the engine.
Regardless of what type of starter you have, it will have to come out for further inspection. The drive gear (which is sometimes referred to as a "Bendix drive") should move out when the starter starts to spin. The drive gear usually has a one-way clutch that is supposed to protect the starter against damage if someone keeps cranking the engine once it starts. The gear should turn one way but not the other. If the gear is locked up or turns freely either way, the drive is bad and needs to be replaced. If the drive can't be replaced separately, you'll have to replace the entire starter.
Starter Testing If the drive seems okay, the starter should be "bench tested" using jumper cables or special equipment designed for this purpose.
CAUTION: Be careful because a starter develops a lot of torque. It should be held down with a strap or clamped in a vice (be careful not to crush or deform the housing!) before voltage is applied.
A simple no-load bench test can be performed with a battery and a pair of jumper cables to see if a starter motor will spin. But this test alone won't tell you if the starter is good or bad because a weak starter that lacks sufficient power to crank an engine at the proper speed (usually a minimum of 250 to 500 rpm) may still spin up to several thousand rpm when voltage is applied with no load.
A better method of determining a starter's condition is to have it tested on equipment that measures the starter's "amp draw." A good starter should normally draw a current of 60 to 150 amps, depending on the size or power rating of the starter. Some "high torque" GM starters may draw up to 250 amps, so refer to the OEM specifications to make sure the amp draw is within the acceptable range.
If the starter does not spin freely, or draws an unusually high or low number of amps, it is defective and replacement is required.
An unusually high current draw and low free turning speed typically indicate a shorted armature, grounded armature or field coils, or excessive friction within the starter itself (dirty, worn or binding bearings or bushings, a bent armature shaft or contact between the armature and field coils). The magnets in permanent magnet starters can sometimes break or separate from the housing and drag against the armature.
A starter that does not turn and draws a high current may have a ground in the terminal or field coils, or a frozen armature.
Failure to spin and zero current draw indicates an open field circuit, open armature coils, defective brushes or a defective solenoid.
Low free turning speed combined with a low current draw indicates high internal resistance (bad connections, bad brushes, open field coils or armature windings).

need to know what you are working on always years make and model + engine size if it is a GM type you could have hooked up the wrong little wire to the wrong side or the starter could be bad please clearifyjlelandthomas

If the starter is spinning when you try to start but doesn't spin the engine over then you most likely have teeth missing off the flywheel ring gear. The facts that you say you have to push it and then it starts means the flywheel position changes and the starter has good teeth on the flywheel to engage. To confirm this next time the engine won't crank over remove the starter and look inside at the flywheel for missing flywheel teeth.

Define - It attempts to turn over but won't catch and run ???? When you turn the key to start does the starter engage an spin the engine ? This would be a crank no start condition . If the starter doesn't engage an spin the engine this would be a no crank no start condition . Sorry to ask but i have only been an auto tech for thirty years an have heard a lot of different discriptions for these simple actions . crank no start or no crank no start . Very different diagnostic procedures . So when you turn the key to start , does the starter engage an spin the engine ,but won't start an run ?

If the starter is spinning without engaging the flywheel, chances are that the drive (called a bendix drive) is going bad. Part of that unit is a sprague or also known as an overrunning clutch. it's purpose is to permit the engine to spin faster than the starter when it fires up, otherwise the starter would explode due to the excessive rpm's. If the sprague is worn, or the gear slide is dirty or pitted, the gear end won't work properly. Since most times when that part goes bad, other parts of the starter are usually worn enough to warrant replacement, the best option is to replace the starter as a unit. (so in two weeks, you aren't taking it apart again to replace the brushes etc.)