Have you guys ever measured or even worried about the distance the starter sits from the flywheel on a big block??
Well this is something that I worried alot about. It eats ring gears if not done properly.
Lying under the car use a screw driver to pry the starter drive out and see if it completely spans the ring gear.
Bet it doesn't . Some are lucky to come 1/2 way across. This is what eats the ring gear. Little or at most 1/2 engagement.
The starter is also suppose to move forward into engagement then start to spin. If the starter is too far back it will be spinning while starting engagement.
Well being the worrier that I am I couldn't live with this so using a high torque mini starter I filled in the original holes in the aluminum plate and movee the holes as far as possible to move the starter closer to the flywheel.
It wasn't too hard but another of my to do porjects is to start by machining my own mounting plate on the mini starter to get optimum engagement, that means the starter gear passes right through the ring gear for 100 % engagement.


[Modified by norvalwilhelm, 4:26 PM 2/16/2004]


[Modified by norvalwilhelm, 4:26 PM 2/16/2004]

 

:iagree: ... and probably the main reason for the demise of so many starter
drives. It seems everytime I need a starter, it is the drive slipping - not the
motor or solenoid.

How about shimming, Norval ? I've seen some with a shim, but most without any (stock shim - between starter and block). Of course, the shim does not
address the issue you pose - since it moves the drive gear radially toward or
away from the ring gear.


[Modified by NHvette, 4:09 PM 2/16/2004]

 

I actually fill in the stock holes then redrill the holes closer to the starter so when it mounts to the block it is pushed closer to the ring gear. I get very close to full engagement but I would like it to actually stick all the way through and a little out the other side.
Starters should not spin until they have engaged a slight amount.
Shimming does nothing for this. It does prevent binding between the ring gear and starter drive.

 

:cool:

Is it the same on small blocks? :cheers:

 

Haven't checked out a small block. I have always run big blocks so that is all I know.

 

I have a billet starter mount with the holes drilled so it engages properly,. no problems this way.

 

I have a billet starter mount with the holes drilled so it engages properly,. no problems this way.
My mini starter also had a billet starter mount but the holes can still be wrong. Have you actually installed the starter and then with a screw driver pull the starter drive all the way out and see if it goes all the way through the ring gear??

 

Yes, I checked all that and it engages properly. It's not an off the shelff billet head, it came without the holes drilled in it.