How do you shim a starter?

[eshorvath]

The tip of my starter teeth are worn; not engaging all the way?

How do you "shim" a starter? Woudl this correct this problem?
Eddie

 

[sweetk30]

most starter gears are cut at a angle for the first tiny bit to help engage to flywheel. in my experence if you need to shim a gm starter there is another problem.

 

[rick88blaze]

SweetK30 is right. The only time I had to shim a GM starter is when I had a messed up flywheel. I changed out the flywheel and didn't neet shims after that. Besides, shimming it only moves the starter away from the flywheel.

Rick

 

[eshorvath]

I have had 1/2 people say to shim it, that Chevys need shimming...and 1/2 people say there is no reason for shimmming.

My flywheel is in perfect condition.

What else could be a problem if they dont need shimming? Block worn?

Seems to me that everyone has their own way of dealing with things...

The one thing i wonder about...If Chevys should not have to be shimmed, why are shim kits sold for Chevys...I have never seen a kit for another Make of vehicle, besides GM.

Eddie

 

[sweetk30]

i have been working on gms for over 10 years. and 7 is in shop at work. most comon problem is starter nose is work and need replaced. or in the off chance block work like line boreing was done and crank is not in origanal placement.


is this a new or used or remaned starter. some remans reuse the nose . i had a 454 i got that was shimmed to hell. was making all kinds of noise. removed shims and no more noise.

if you need to shim tho. there is a few ways to do it. some need ful shim and others need 1/2 shim in the front or back bolts to pitch it closer or move it farther away fron the flywheel.

 

[readymix]

Besides, shimming it only moves the starter away from the flywheel.

Not true, but commonly believed to be

 

[blazin_blazer]

he's rite

Not true, but commonly believed to be

if you shim on 1 side it pulls the starter out of flywheel, if you shim on the other side it pushes it in. if it is not supossed to be shimmed why do i have a gm performance supplemental technical manual that tells you how to do it...when the starter is installed properly whether it requires shimming or not they state an 1/8" rod should fit between the end of the starter gear tooth and the valley between teeth on fly wheel when it is engaged?..i use an 1/8" weldin rod with the flux removed and shined up with wire wheel this is straight from a gm supplemental that tells how to hot rod a sbc, a bbc and a cosworth 4 cyl., and also how to race prep a corvette chassis...i mean where to weld solid where they had spot welds on all different parts of the chassis. i'll get the books id code if any one wants to try and get their own copy. it was released by gm on how to hop up their motors who else knows better than who made the thing?

 

[70jimmy]

I shimmed like crazy and tried shimming the outside bolt so the starter kicked in, but even when it was shimmed perfectly over time it would try and work loose.

If you need to get the starter closer, have the starter machined or file it down yourself. Just take off the material evenly across the bolting surface. Over time shimming the starter on the outside caused a crack in my block. Its still there but since I machined the starter down I have had no further problems with this. I went through 7 starters and 2 flexplates to learn this.

 

[rick88blaze]

Yeah, I didn't think about using 1/2 a shim to move it closer.

Rick

 

[eshorvath]

Well, took the starter in. It does not need to be shimmed, in fact, there was a chip taken out of the armatron, and this did not allow the gear to be fully engaged. Replace the armatron, and it works great.
Eddie

 

[dave_90_blazer]

Well, took the starter in. It does not need to be shimmed, in fact, there was a chip taken out of the armatron, and this did not allow the gear to be fully engaged. Replace the armatron, and it works great.
Eddie

armature.....