So I need a new starter. Been having some intermittent no starting situations on my 75'. Background: When it happens, courtesy lights are on, door ajar / seatbelt lights comes one, buzzer is going for short period till with lights. Turn key and nothing! No sounds, no slow crank, just silence. The Tach and Speedo needles dip slightly as it pushes power to starter but nothing happens.

I tested the clutch safety switch, works fine. Checked engine ground and battery ground, both are good.
Replaced a connector on the starter solenoid as it was giving some issues with Ohm meter but that wasn't the issue.
Happened again today so i tried to hook up my ignition bypass switch straight to the starter solenoid terminals and got nothing once again. Little puff of smoke. Push start and everything runs great.

My assumption is heat soak is freezing up the starter as it works when I try in the morning but not after driving. I'll double check the battery but when the starter works it cranks fine.

So looking to see what best options are and what others have put into their cars. Should I go with another OEM style starter? Mini high torque starter? Are these high torque starters any good? Brands that are best? Should I put a heat shield around the new starter as well?

Hoping to fix this so I can enjoy some more driving over the fall. Thanks in advance for any feedback and help.

 

Suggest consider a Modern OEM style starter. A PMGR aka PG260 starter. Half the weight, more power, less current demand. That's why some thirty years ago, The General went from the heavy OE 10MT starter to the PG260. Virtually all modern passenger vehicles dumped field coils and went with Permanent Magnet Gear Reduction. And another Big plus, by default, their much smaller size, holds them farther away from heat sources (rarely ever need any heat shielding). And those permanent magnets are not phased by heat (like field coils are).

*Bad grounds and corroded starter-battery cables are often a prime sources of starting difficulties.
Cancer often hides beneath the cables' heavy insulation; not just near ends.
New starter-battery cables are remarkably inexpensive.

 

What he said. I used a starter from a 1996 full size Chevy truck. No problem ever since, and it saves about 20 lbs.

 

Very high possibility it's just the solenoid.
The starter itself can out-live 3 solenoids.

And with no heat shield in place, that poor little thing gets fried.
It's designed to do 90% of the tasks. The starter is just along for the ride waiting for commands from the solenoid.

If you swap out just the solenoid, look for a ceramic end cap. Usually brown in color.
Able to handle more heat. A little extra money.

 

I always recommend PowerMaster. I've had mine for 10 years or more. Lightweight, not expensive, and never had a problem with it. No problems cranking a 10:1 454 and headers, even with a hot engine. Mine was Made in USA, don't know if they still are.

 

1996 Chevy 1500 with 5.7 from Napa or any parts store near where you live

 

! OF NOTE !
The Modern OE type PMGR aka PG260 starters REQUIRE New Starter Bolts ! Not Optional.

https://autoprollc.com/wp-content/up...eb2016_web.pdf

 

I amusing a Gear Drive Starter on a 12.25-1 compression ratio 427 BB and it starts the engine very easily as it is rated to be good up to 18-1 compression ratio (diesel neighborhood). The Power Master parts are generally pretty good and can last a while. The aftermarket units for racing are lighter and can still crank the engine without breaking a sweat.

When using a gear drive you might want to try and retard the ignition while cranking. This option is available to me from a MSD Digital Retard Box that I have on my engine. It is also available using the Holley EFI software that came with my Holley Stealth Sniper. Retarding or pulling the timing allows the engine to crank much faster and it starts easier. I have 20* of timing pulled while cranking and then at less than 500 rpm the timing returns to normal after the engine starts.

I bought my gear drive starter back in the early 1990's and it was such an improvement over the original factory starter. The gear drive starters pull a fraction of the current that a factory starter can which takes a huge load off the battery and the rest of your electrical system. When I crank my 427 with the compression it still cranks fast which helps it light off quickly when starting. No more big battery voltage drop while cranking the engine up.

 

Took a look under the car and got more confused now. Bolt pattern is staggered so thinking it's a 163 tooth flywheel. Worried that I won't find the right starter since they seem to have housing around the gear where mine goes into a housing kn the car. Anyone know which part I should look into buying?

 

Any mini starter that says it is compatible with 163 tooth ring gears will work. Yes, stock starter uses staggered bolts but your block has 3 threaded holes so a starter using straight pattern bolts will fit. They do have a "housing" over the nose but it will fit inside the bulge in the bell-housing.

 

168 teeth

 

That's a staggered pattern (aka diagonal) Delco Remy 10MT starter in the above pic. this vehicle almost certainly has a 168 tooth flywheel or flexplate (there's no 163 tooth choice). The smaller flywheel/flexplate has 153 teeth but those starter mountings typically have a "straight-across" bolt pattern. While this "staggered" bolt pattern is typically for the larger diameter 168 tooth flexplate/flywheel.

 

1975 corvette should have OE HEI distributor; therefore should have no "R" terminal on solenoid (R terminal is for older models with points ignition).
So, an "R" terminal not needed on any replacement starter's solenoid.

suggest WAI Global P/N 3510NPG at Rock Auto
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...t=4152&jsn=683

Thats a PMGR PG260 staggered pattern for 168T. AND it includes the required New Starter Bolts. At first blush the old bolts look same; But they're Not! bolts Old will actually fit but they cannot fit right and will cause starter to loosen (in time) and then starter will twist and not align. Use the New Bolts!

You'll be happily surprised by the large weight reduction between old 10MT starter and modern PG260.

You can find the equivalent starter elsewhere for less or more $.

* REMY P/N 96206 (like above) is also configured to fit your 1975, BUT it does Not come with those REQUIRED new bolts.

 

Thanks for the help. This is all pretty new to me so got confused between 153 and 168 tooth flywheels and mixed up the numbers.

Will look up the parts you suggested, will be nice to get a smaller starter with less weight. I saw link to bolts sold separately on different thread (https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-question.html), but yes I've read that new bolts are required. Will definitely be using new bolts!

Thank you for clarification, didn't know the nose housing on the starters will fit into the bell housing on the car. Hard to tell just looking under the car.

I'm assuming, I'll have to take off the bell housing under the car when I install the starter so I can shim and check the gear engagement?

 

That big old heavy 10MT has a nosecone that encloses much of the gear and supports the very end of armature shaft; as does the modern PG260 style starter.

The nosecone of either starter extends THROUGH a pre-existing opening in Dust Shield.

For EITHER starter, removal of dust shield or bellhousing should Not be required.
However, there's a possibility your dust shield MAY require being TRIMMED only slightly to accommodate where Nosecone MAY (or may not) be slightly larger; if so, Dust Shield May (or may not) require removal to trim it.

*ADD*
another of the modern PG260 starter's inherent beauties is that they rarely ever need any ANY shim/adjustment. PROVIDING CORRECT BOLTS ARE EMPLOYED

 

Have your starter rebuilt. No need for new bolts or shims because you are just putting it back in so it makes it so easy for you. Wires go back where you took them off.. I have the original starter in mine, 122K miles, and had the starter rebuilt 14 years ago. Headers with no wrap and no shield and still going. Been to the dragstrip and dont think I would have gone that much faster with a different starter. A heat shield won't hurt.

 

i suggest this as well.
you can swap your brown cap to a new guts solenoid. Starter easily inspected too. I tried mini starter and failed because i was not willing to modify the wiring to fit mini. My experience here
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...rt-79-a-2.html

 

Hold the phone, sir:
It seems you tried a CVR mini (which appears to be a re-labelled Denso) and it Does have a Very different solenoid And its wiring configuration is Nothing like the OE GM-type PMGR PG260 starters. That CVR Nippon Denso's solenoid has Side-Mounted cable terminals. No wonder its terminals didn't easily fit Your Cable ! Instead, PG260 PMGR solenoid wiring configuration is Very similar to old 10MT solenoid; Both have cable terminals on End (Not Side) of solenoid cap. You were working with a good CVR starter BUT it wasn't configured at all like the OE production GM mini aka PG260. Apples and Oranges. You might have spent about 1/2 the money And it fitted as expected And, depending where you bought it from, it would have Limited Lifetime Warranty. The WAI Global P/N 3510NPG suggested above is a PG260 design (Not Denso) with solenoid End-cap terminals, And has Limited Lifetime Warranty, And comes with Correct New starter bolts; for about $125.

* that Remy PG260 TSB I linked above shows sharp pics & diagrams of those correct bolts; including the requisite correct Taper & Knurl. Similar BUT unlike bolts for 10MT. PG260 also has a planetary gear reduction (it's clear that CVR has a gear reduction, but it's not planetary).

 

well if it breaks again i will consider that one thanks!. If the wires would have fit i would have tried. I could not figure out how to measure clearance on gears either without access to pull out gear. There is some merit for swapping ready to go with oem style as well.

i forgot op..i added oem heat shield as mine was missing as well. Pretty cheap from vendors, simple sheet metal but effective.

 

ad nauseam
so long as the correct starter bolts are employed, the OE GM type PG260 starters rarely ever need any shim or adjustment.
I doubt your Refurbished 10MT will fail anytime soon.