Shimming Starter
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
From: Avon Park FL
Shimming Starter
I have a tilton mini starter ,how do you go about shimming it.
The starter gear is just touching the flex plate/flywheel don't know where to shim. I have been shimming for hours not getting it right so I am doing something wrong. ( 77 auto). This a rebulid so I can't go by old starter. The flex plate is 168 tooth, mini starter is for 153 or 168 .
Also the humps on flex plate ( don't what else to them ) is facing transmission. Indent towards engine
Gary
The starter gear is just touching the flex plate/flywheel don't know where to shim. I have been shimming for hours not getting it right so I am doing something wrong. ( 77 auto). This a rebulid so I can't go by old starter. The flex plate is 168 tooth, mini starter is for 153 or 168 .
Also the humps on flex plate ( don't what else to them ) is facing transmission. Indent towards engine
Gary
Drifting
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,505
Likes: 7
From: Jacksonville FL
I would suggest going to an auto parts store like Advance Auto and grab the correct shim kit for that type of starter. the shims should be .015" thick i think and they are fairly easy to cut (to shim one side). the drive gear needed to be no more than a paperclips thickness away from the flywheel. to shim it closer you should add shims on the side the furthest away from the flywheel/motor. Honestly if you cant get it to make decent contact without shims you might look into a new starter... and also check the bolts holding the starter on, make sure they're tight so the starter wont shift when you turn the engine over.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 12,142
Likes: 54
From: Taylor Michigan
I guess starting first, you should not use shims. The use of shims pulls the starter away from the ring gear. The above post suggested a paper clip and that is the correct way to gauge it. Stacking one side prevents a solid contact with the block and all correct shims are a full one piece to fit across the block. The stock OEM Delco probably didn`t require shims. Before garbaging the flex plate, put the correct starter back in and place that mini trophy on a shelf. You dont need it as many cause problems such as your experiencing. A good OEM starter will crank just about everything. I know as we sell them. .
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,729
Likes: 267
From: Austin Texas
Corvette of the Year Winner 2017
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
Starter installation requires 2 measusrements,
1 starter gear to flexplate clearance should be app. .030 = small paper clip the reason, with out clearance the starter may drag when you release the key.
it is best to measure but hard to do on a stock installation,
start with no shims, add some if the starter drags/ does not release completely.
2 starter gear depth of engagement,= how far back the starter shoots into the flywheel,
not easily adjusts and requires orginal starter manufacturer shims to change.
this adj. only required if the solinoid is not shooting the starter back far enough to fully engage flywheel usually at least 50% engagement required.
most mini starter can be bolted to a big or small flywheel, dependant upon which holes you use to mount with.
I hope this was not too confusing... 69VETT
use the correct shims if needed, don't shim just 1 side !
1 starter gear to flexplate clearance should be app. .030 = small paper clip the reason, with out clearance the starter may drag when you release the key.
it is best to measure but hard to do on a stock installation,
start with no shims, add some if the starter drags/ does not release completely.
2 starter gear depth of engagement,= how far back the starter shoots into the flywheel,
not easily adjusts and requires orginal starter manufacturer shims to change.
this adj. only required if the solinoid is not shooting the starter back far enough to fully engage flywheel usually at least 50% engagement required.
most mini starter can be bolted to a big or small flywheel, dependant upon which holes you use to mount with.
I hope this was not too confusing... 69VETT
use the correct shims if needed, don't shim just 1 side !
Last edited by 69Vett; Sep 25, 2008 at 06:31 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,202
Likes: 3
From: MD
So, if it's just touching I assume you mean it's too loose on the mesh? The only way to shim it to correct that is to shim the outside bolt only (the one farther from the flexplate). This will technically make the starter not contact the block fully anymore. I can say I've done this to cars and driven them plenty without issues. But if it's a very high-compression rebuild you're working on and you have to shim the outside too much you can break the starter. So, if you have to put more than say 2 .015" shims on the outside I'd say find a different starter.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
From: Avon Park FL
shimming starter
After reading post last night I had to go and play with the starter.
What I found is ( using a real light) starter will line up with bolts not tighten with me holding starter up .but when I tighten starter bolts starter pulls toward flexplate and touches this is with no shims.The
flexplate and the starter gear touches when bolts are tighten.
What I found is ( using a real light) starter will line up with bolts not tighten with me holding starter up .but when I tighten starter bolts starter pulls toward flexplate and touches this is with no shims.The
flexplate and the starter gear touches when bolts are tighten.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,946
Likes: 28
From: Long Beach CA
I'm not sure about the starter you have, but all of the mini starters I've worked with came with a shim to put between the starter motor and the mounting plate. That would space the gear away from the flex plate. If yours doesn't have one, contact Tilton. They should be able to help.
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