Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Guess I have some trouble shooting to do today. This morning I wanted to start the car and it sounds like the starter is just spinning, - not turning the engine , switch ignition back to one and try again , this time with no problem except for an engine light. I had guests in the car and wasn't paying to much attention when I started the car , but was surprised to hear something (starter spinning) but not hearing the engine turn, returned the key to position one and tried again. I actually had to ask the guy outside waiting for me to get out of the parking before he could get into the Patrol whether he heard the starter spinning.

I'll try the disconnect the battery for 10 min but would still like some ideas on what it could be. car feels fine

about 18 months ago the starter made a whir noise when you release the key, I removed it, cleaned it (looked like someone left their clutch in it) , lube it and haven't had any problems since.

Martyn has overhauled his starter motor. Maybe he can help.

Andries you starter bendix drive is slipping , due to the cold the springs retracted and after the first try the friction heated them up slightly and they grabbed again

Any reason this would set the engine light?

I did the battery disconnect without success.

Will have to do a scan to check the engine light , starter alone should not have set that off

Disconnected the battery for the whole night, light is off now but I will definitely do a scan