Starter sound
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
From: Alpena MI.
Starter sound
Do our starters (or any older car) sound a lot noisier, then newer cars? Maybe I'm just used to newer cars,but my car 1969 350-300hp has never sounded smooth. Is that normal? I have a new battery, the starter was just freshened up. Am I just out of touch with older cars or is there something wrong?
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 12,142
Likes: 54
From: Taylor Michigan
My guess without more info
Done right, they sound the same......new or old....your noise if like a high pitched wine is caused from the starter drive and ring gear....you may check this type of condition by removing the bell housing inspection cover;;;If this is the source of the noise, DO not attempt to correct this condition with shims...they will only make it worse ...that is presuming you have a worn ring gear....
Engines stop almost in the same position 3vry time its turned off...over time and a few engine running cranking starts it results in a bad ring gear and possibly a starter drive too
Engines stop almost in the same position 3vry time its turned off...over time and a few engine running cranking starts it results in a bad ring gear and possibly a starter drive too
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 926
Likes: 2
From: Castle Rock CO
This a sound I have heard before on a worn out Starter or worn out gears on the Fly Wheel. I have so many bad starters over the years and even rebuilt/remanufactured starters. Once had the gear housing on a Remanufacture Starter explode after replacing a bad starter. Quality of the remanufacture starter was bad. Ended up spending the extra bucks and buying a new one back in the 1980s.
Pull the housing of the Tranny and inspect the Fly Wheel then look for wear. If it is in good shape then you just need another starter. On one of my older cars I had to replace the Fly Wheel because the teeth had worn down.
Pull the housing of the Tranny and inspect the Fly Wheel then look for wear. If it is in good shape then you just need another starter. On one of my older cars I had to replace the Fly Wheel because the teeth had worn down.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 7,215
Likes: 1
From: Orlando FL
Do our starters (or any older car) sound a lot noisier, then newer cars? Maybe I'm just used to newer cars,but my car 1969 350-300hp has never sounded smooth. Is that normal? I have a new battery, the starter was just freshened up. Am I just out of touch with older cars or is there something wrong?
no really unless there is an issue
Racer
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 340
Likes: 2
From: Port Washington WI
Let me add my two cents here. Most cars these days are using a gear reduction starter. That gives you more torque with a smaller starter motor. A smaller starter motor is quieter than a non-reduction starter, smaller and weighs less. Years ago when we were racing modifieds in Wisconsin running 400 SBC motors on methanol we kept destroying the nose of standard starters. When we went to a gear reduction starter like the Tiltons we had more torque, faster starting and quieter. This is not an ad for Titlon, they're were a prominent mfr of gear reduction starters back then.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
From: Alpena MI.
Well... I figured it out today. After shimming, changing the silinoid, new battery (witch I needed anyway), cleaning all the grounds and othe wires. I realized , one of the starter bolts didn't tighten. It was stripped, so then I used a heyleycoil and now it sounds much better. I guess it was twisting while trying to start, causing the noise. Thanks for all the replies and info, it helped narrow down the problem.
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