Ok, So I just fixed my Jimmy no more than a week ago. I replaced the coolant temp sensor...She was running like a top until yesterday. I went into town to do some errands and headed over to my friends house. Everything was running fine until I was almost there. The car started making a grinding noise and it got worse with acceleration. I didn't drive it too long like that. (Less than a mile or so.) I managed to get to my friends house and shut it off. I attempted to turn it over in the driveway...wouldn't start. Slow cranking was generally the symptom. If I bashed the starter with a hammer, there was some change. Their would be a little more life in the starter...But what with that grinding noise makes me say the flex plate. Or the starter gear was stuck in there causing that noise.

Any help would be appreciated of course.

It's a 1991, 4.3 TBI, 700R4 Tranny, btw.

 

Sounds to me like the starter armature did not disengage. More than likely it is time for a new starter.

 

Yeah that's what I thought. I hope it did not damage the flexplate...Like I said, I only rode it like that for less than a mile or so.

 

But for it to just start when you were driving down the road... When I have experienced the bendix sticking out, it has been right off the bat. It is not impossible for it to kick out later though...

I would pull the starter and inspect it. You can bench test it as well.

 

I have seen the bendix creep out before, although I will admit it is a rarity I have seen it.