I have installed 2 starters in 4 months, I am guessing that the flywheel teeth are rounded and are chewing up the starter teeth. anyone heard of this or am I installing them wrong. If it is the flywheel is there anyone in the area that could walk me through it. I assume i have to DROP the Tranny ARRRRG .... never done it before ... i will pay and buy the beer /forums/images/graemlins/1zhelp.gif
CK5
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Chewing up starters .... help
- Thread starter flynhi
- Start date
SkulzNBonz
1/2 ton status
Starter could need to be shimmed on one side or the other, around the mounting bolt area. Some starter's need a small amount of shim to get the proper backlash, other's do not. Never had to do it myself, but there are many here who have.Chilton's/Haynes manual discuss the topic relatively well, if I remember correctly.
John
John
It could be the flywheel teeth are bad, thus chewing up the new starter gear, and you're right, you would have to pull the tranny or engine out to fix the flywheel.
Another problem (and cheaper) is that the starter may need shimmed away from the flywheel. I know AutoZone sells starter shim kits that usually come with an 1/8th steel rod and varying shim thicknesses. Just follow the directions in the shim kit, its easy.
You may have already damaged the teeth on the flywheel though. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Does the engine make weird grinding noises when ya turn it over? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Another problem (and cheaper) is that the starter may need shimmed away from the flywheel. I know AutoZone sells starter shim kits that usually come with an 1/8th steel rod and varying shim thicknesses. Just follow the directions in the shim kit, its easy.
You may have already damaged the teeth on the flywheel though. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Does the engine make weird grinding noises when ya turn it over? /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
It did not at first ... but the noise got progressivly worse now starter just spins without engauging the flywheel. but both times i installed new starters the sounded great for about a week the went to S*&%t
I would say that you need a new flywheel and starter. I went thru the same pain in the arse a few months ago, mine was acting just like you described, I ended up having to put on a new flywheel (flexplate) and another starter. I just took everything loose and slid the tranny back a few inches so I could get a wrench to the bolts on the flexplate. It made it alot easier than having to completely drop the tranny/t-case. I didn't even have to take out the driveshafts. I haven't had any more problems with it.
Langosta39
1/2 ton status
pull off the inspection plate and the starter and look at your flywheel. My starter needed A LOT of shimming down, like 5/32nds, yes, more than 1/8" so my starter was hitting the front of the flywheel and ruining the starter but not the rinbggear...very much. I got a new starter cuz it was toast in 1 month. In the end I had to take the solenoid off the new starter and keep trying differnt shims and manually pushing the starter gear in until fully engaged with minimum pressure. After I got that I hooked everything up and started it 20 times then pulled the starter off to inspect the wear pattern and noticed slight the marks in the valleys of the starter gear so I shimmed it another 1/32 which is the min spacing. The starter install instructions tell you how to do all of this, and so does your NAPA guy.
All in all, this 1 hr of work goes a LONG way to save you time and money. But it sounds like you need to get a new ring gear first, then do this.
andy
All in all, this 1 hr of work goes a LONG way to save you time and money. But it sounds like you need to get a new ring gear first, then do this.
andy
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It did not at first ... but the noise got progressivly worse now starter just spins without engauging the flywheel. but both times i installed new starters the sounded great for about a week the went to S*&%t
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Where are you getting these starters from? I went through this issue when I first started out. I must have went through 5 or 6 Pep Boy's starters until I was taught the value of a AC Delco starter. Installed that one over 4 years ago now and haven't had trouble since.
It did not at first ... but the noise got progressivly worse now starter just spins without engauging the flywheel. but both times i installed new starters the sounded great for about a week the went to S*&%t
[/ QUOTE ]
Where are you getting these starters from? I went through this issue when I first started out. I must have went through 5 or 6 Pep Boy's starters until I was taught the value of a AC Delco starter. Installed that one over 4 years ago now and haven't had trouble since.
Langosta39
1/2 ton status
not on a chevy that ive messed with
andy
andy
You can easily see the flywheel (if manual), flexplate (if auto) teeth to see what their condition is. My bet is you're getting cheap remanufactured starters from Napa.
Do you have the support arm on the back of the starter that bolts up to the side of the block? That is essential in controlling starter movement due to torque. That can cause the starter to move, and the teeth no longer engage right and make the loud noise you hear.
Do you have the support arm on the back of the starter that bolts up to the side of the block? That is essential in controlling starter movement due to torque. That can cause the starter to move, and the teeth no longer engage right and make the loud noise you hear.
Moose
1/2 ton status
Waxer I am having the same problem what does this arm look like? I have taken all the shims out and it still is to far away the teeth barley make contact. /forums/images/graemlins/usaflag.gif
Anteak
1/2 ton status
Could be electrical. Bad/old cable to the solenoid. Is there oil leaking down on the solenoid? The sound could be the starter spinning and the soleniod isn't fully engaging the stater gear to the flywheel gear. Someone would have to watch it as you engage the starter. Are the gears on the flywheel chewed up across the full face of the gear or only half way.
Just something else to think about. Are you getting a new soleniod when you replaced the starters. If not, bench test them before you install it to verify that the gear is extending fully.
Just something else to think about. Are you getting a new soleniod when you replaced the starters. If not, bench test them before you install it to verify that the gear is extending fully.
Moose,
I don't have my Hayne's manual with me (which has a pic of it), but hopefully someone reading this will, and can put it up for you. The best way I can describe it is it looks like a molded piece of angle iron. One end bolts up to the side of the block, the other end bolts up to the back of the starter.
I don't have my Hayne's manual with me (which has a pic of it), but hopefully someone reading this will, and can put it up for you. The best way I can describe it is it looks like a molded piece of angle iron. One end bolts up to the side of the block, the other end bolts up to the back of the starter.
one way to change the flexplate w/out dropping the tranny is to take out the bottom 2 bolts on the bell housing and replace them with 6" grade 8 bolts. then remove the rest of the bolts and linkage, then you can just slide the tranny back on the 2 bottom bolts and not worry about it falling. just tighten the 6" bolts finger tight.
Derf00
1/2 ton status
Exactly, works perfect. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
Goose
1/2 ton status
Like Waxer said, I too had a lot of starter troubles until I went with an actual AC/Delco starter. That was in 1998 and not a lick of trouble since. I smoked (literally) two starters in six months before that.
55Willy
3/4 ton status
I read some of the replies but not all of them. the problem GM had was i think they had 3 foundries producing the blocks and there is up to a 1/2" varience in them. up til 87 when they went to the one piece seal they then went to one foundry. so the thing to do is to properly match the teeth of your flywheel or flex plate to the starter teeth. if they don't mesh then either space it away from the block to gain room or you may have to mill the nose cone of the starter to get it to match.
