what is going on with my starter

[K-5kid]

i have replaced my flywheel i have shimed the hell out of it and it still binds what else can i do. I have dropped the damn thing out probably thirty times to try different shim componations. I have replaced the bolts what else can be done to fix it .I am almost ready to just sell the truck

 

[79Stomper]

Define bind.... Is the bendix gear sticking in the flywheel or just not turning the motor over? Thought I was having a problematic starter last week but turned out to be something totally different.

 

[sweetk30]

i have never had to shim a gm starter in my time.

 

[K-5kid]

the gear is sticking in the flywheel and wont turn the motor over

 

[garlicbreath]

I have never shimmed a starter either. How many teeth are on your flywheel? Do you have the dual pattern bolt holes?

 

[Mad-Dog]

sometimes you have to shim 1 side or the other and sometimes the flange is too thick and must be ground down to bring the starter closer to the ring gear.....
but it sounds like the motor is not turning the ring gear after the bendix has engaged

 

[down4thakrown]

have some one lay under the truck while u turn it over to see it your flywheel might be bent? or the bearing could be goin in the motor. buddy had the same problem in his blazer. ended up motor was shot.

 

[jk5blazer]

yeah the starter isn't that much, and I like a few others have never had to shim the starter, not saying you don't but it just doesnt sound right. I would just go buy a new starter and install it w/o any shims and see if that works. And so I understand you right the starter isn't turning over and making a loud grinding noise, the starter gear is ingaging the flywheel and nothing happens, but maybe a buzzing nosie from the starter, right.

 

[Blue85]

Could it be the wrong starter? I know that there is more than one flywheel tooth count out there, but I understood that the same starter works with either. Is it possible that somebody swapped a different starter or different flywheel/flexplate in?

 

[dyeager535]

Starters aren't the same. Ring gear diameter is different based on tooth count, and the different nose cones are what make up for that difference. This is *one* of the reasons there are two different starter bolt patterns. Essentially straight across starter bolt pattern is 168 teeth (IIRC) and staggered is 153.

 

[big83chevy4x4]

Essentially straight across starter bolt pattern is 153 teeth and staggered is 168, the most common on trucks.

fixed it for ya

 

[Muddytazz]

Essentially straight across starter bolt pattern is 153 teeth and staggered is 168, the most common on trucks.

I've seen blocks at:

straight 153
staggered 153
straight 168
staggered 168

figure that one out lol

 

[K-5kid]

it has the staggered patern but i am going to buy a new starter this weekend and try it all again on the fourth starter hopefuly it will work thats three weeks i havent gone out to red sands

 

[K-5kid]

yea it grinds and the stops trying to turn the motor should i try to grind some off the cone might that work

 

[dyeager535]

If the bendix stops when it hits the flywheel, that means that it has too MUCH engagement, right? (thinking out loud here) If you grind the nose cone, (I assume you mean shave metal off where it mates to the block) you end up moving the bendix even closer to the flywheel. So that would mean even worse problems, right?

At this point, after this many starters, I'd probably stack some washers between the bolts and the starter, make sure it won't hit the flexplate, (could break the block if it gets enough leverage) and see if it throws the bendix out and the starter turns freely when you do this.

Did this problem all of a sudden just start, or what changes led up to this problem?

If there was/is a way to get the starter to throw the bendix out, but not rotate, that would be pretty valuable too, you might actually be able to see the teeth engagement, which might tell you something. IIRC though, it's pretty hard to see the starter/flexplate engagement.

 

[k20]

you sure the block isnt cracked where the starter bolts up? Also, is this a new motor, or high compression motor? Parts store starters cant spin my big block, I hadta go to a mini-starter. When I would turn the key, the starter would engage, and just kinda buzz. Put on a high-torque ministarter, problem solved. Im not sayin go buy a $200 mini-starter, until you cover all teh bases, a buddy of mine happened to have just bought a mini starter for his 55, so I put it on mine, fired it up, took it off and bought one of my own.

Also, maybe the positive battery cable isnt providing enough current for the starter, just enough to engage, but not enough to turn it.

 

[K-5kid]

do the starters for the 153 and 168 have diferent patterns i havent counted the teeth yet i am going to do that tonight but if i had the starter for the other flywheel that would mess it all up right

 

[dyeager535]

*apparently* (did some searching on the net earlier) most GM cars used a 153 tooth flexplate...if you used the starter from a car app, it is probably wrong.

measurement post number 2

 

[K-5kid]

i looked at it and it looks like the bendix gear is wrong i belive i have a 168 toothbut another site said that the 153 tooth is straight and the 168 is stagered

 

[dyeager535]

If you do a search for paperclip and starter you will likely find how to use the paperclip to check the gear engagement. Problem is, I'm not sure how you get the bendix to come out without rotating the engine nor how you get a paperclip in there so you can see, and also, that link I posted mentions measuring the flexplate. I'm not sure how you'd measure either, unless the transmission wasn't in place.