Hi Greenrangie,
Sounds like the one way clutch is sticking or the gear teeth on your starter or teeth on the flywheel ring gear are chipped.
Just happens I bought a starter yesterday for my 89 3.9 litre - cost me $369.90 incl GST. I put my working one into a local auto electrician for rebuild and was told the Lucas/Marinetti Marelli parts are no longer available so he sold me a brand new one - which came in a Marinetti Marelli box but is made by Bosch. He also told me the electric motor/solenoid section is the same as many Fords.
By the way they are a total b**ch to get out because of the two inaccessible and super tight socket head bolts - I think from memory they are 9/32" or maybe 7/32" Allen Key - there are many threads on the Classic Rangie section on this. I gather the best approach is hit the socket head longitudinally straight on with a hammer and iron bar to try and break the corrosion on the threads (steel bolts into aluminium for 16 years!). I also sprayed them with this "freeze free" spray product which also is supposed to break the chemical bonds in the oxidised threads. Then eventually they gave with a pipe over the Allen Key for leverage and lots of patient repeated attempts. I was fortunate having the cylinder heads off already gave me better access to the bolts.
Good luck!


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you know how to fix these things (C) you have the time. My 1984 3.5 carby starter was doing the same thing just last week i removed it ,the hex head bolts were easy to undo. Pulled it apart found that there was dirt and stuff clogging things up. the thrust collar and roller clutch drive assembly were stiff because of dirt in them probably from water and mud, anyway i cleaned it all up including the contacts in the soleniod lubricated it and now it works like a new one . starter motors are a simple electrical device easy to work on. I have previously done the same job on my s1,s3 and 2 toyotas and only cost me some time and grease, from leyland


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