73-87chevytrucks.com
73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Engine/Drivetrain => Topic started by: weebo74 on March 28, 2009, 02:19:30 pm
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so the shop put on a new starter told me that the old one was the wrong one and that it took some teeth of the flywheel but the new starter does not look right at all what you guys think or am i just nuts
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looks a little close. Did you shim it?
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they shimmed it the gears on the starter are almost siting right on top of the flywheel
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Did they change the flywheel?
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yes the changed the flywheel out and when i got the fly wheel home there was no teeth missing about 8 teeth had small flat spots on the flywheel and when i looked closer at the back of the block noticed the bolt patten for the trany the chevy 350 i was told in the truck when i bought it is in fact a pontiac 350 and what was bad even the shop told me it was a chevy 350 so i think the shop just took me for a ride
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Gears do look a bit close, but if they don't make any noise when it's running, they must be far enough away. If it sounds good and starts good, I'd drive it, but If they can't tell a pontiac 350 from a chevy 350, I wouldn't let them near my chevy 350..... Even die hard ford and dodge guys know what a small block chevy looks like, they're just that common...
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I wonder if they put the flywheel in backwards, or if they put a shin between the crank and the flywheel?
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The flywheel looks like it is not in backwards since the indents face the converter. I'd have to say one of two things is going on here. Either they shimmed the flywheel at the crank or that starter is the wrong one for that application. Either way it is definitely wrong and won't last for long. You only have about 1/8" of engagement between the teeth and you can already see the wear on the edge of the teeth after just a few uses. I'd bring it back and tell them to fix it before you wind up stuck at the worst possible time. Post a pic of the top of the motor and we'll tell you what you got no problem :)
I think there is some confusion here, those pics are of the starter engaged not at rest. If it is at rest the starter is bad anyhow since the gear of the starter is engaged with the flywheel. Take a pic of the whole starter too, if you have a Chevy 350 and a Pontiac 350 starter that could be what is wrong here.
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So they replaced the flexplate and starter and basically did not shim it correctly. Take it back
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Forget the stuff about the 350 Pontiac...they have the starter on the driver's side. So the guy at the shop isn't nuts, just the guy you bought it from. The flywheel that your saying is flat & missing teeth, is this the old one or the one on the engine now? Does the starter sound right while cranking & once released? Lorne
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russ you are right i took the pick at the starter at the engaged not rest and the flywheel that they said that was missing teeth is not the one in the pic and i had a brain fart it is chevy 350 i got the bolt pattrn on the back of the block backwords and haulin the starter is on the passger side of the truck and the teeth on the starter is almost sitting on top of the teeth of the flywheel
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The starter needs to be shimmed correctly. Keep in mind there are several ways to shim a starter so get yourself some shims and you should be fine.
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vile that is the thing they did shim the starter and they told me that is the right starter but the ones i had on before fit better then the that is on now so i don't know
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Shim it more until it's correct.
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ok well here is a update so i took the starter off and when i did i found that they fried the wires the give the truck power and that is a small crack in the block on the coner where the starter bolt goes that might be why they told me the starter bolt gets walking out it is a small crack is there any way i can fix this with out pulling the block and having it welded is there anything i can put on the bolt to keep it in the hole and not walk out could i use a small amount of j-b weld or should i just pull the motor and have it welded
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You should be able to weld it in place without pulling the engine. The starter bolts are knurled so make sure you are using the correct bolts. Again, make sure it's shimmed correctly and don't over tighten the bolts
(http://www.gilbertracingparts.com/Starters_And_Parts/images/03733289.jpg)
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You also should be able to helicoil it if need be. I wouldn't use jb weld for anything more than ornamental type stuff. Which bolt pattern starter do you have the diagonal or straight? If you have the straight style bolt pattern you could get a diagonal bolt pattern starter. Are both your starter bolts like the one vile posted? Is one shorter than the other?
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ok off what is helicoil and yes both bolts are the long ones and the bolt pattern is diagonal
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Is the hole in the block for the straight pattern also?
A heli coil is a threaded insert you can repair a stripped hole with.
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vile the bolt pattern is diagonal and here is some pic's of the hole and the crack sorry if the pic's are small won't let me go bigger
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Looks like it has already been helicoiled once, wouldn't hurt to ad another section of coil to it and loctite it in place. That would fix the problem with bolts coming loose. You still have a problem with either the wrong starter or the flywheel is shimmed too much at the crank though. The starter gear while engaged should mesh completely with the flywheel in other words the gear will make contact with the whole tooth on the flywheel not just an 1/8" or so. This very same problem could be what caused your original flywheel to lose some teeth.
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thanks russ for the info and the original flywheel was not missing teeth that is what the shop told me all it had was about 8 teeth had flat spots
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maybe some loc tight
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well here is a update well took it to a real shop had them weld and helicoil and put some loc tight it the bolt hole and the truck starts fine and runs like a stuck pig thanks for all the info guys