Midnight 85

I got my new starter today and it is still not engaging the flexplate so I pulled the dust cover, I need a new flexplate. Is there any way the torque converter will go back into the trans far enough to get this job done? I know what you are going to say but I thought I would check anyway.

93 ragtop

No. There is only 1/8 - 1/4 in play there. The bolts going through the flexplate into the crankshaft are way too long for that. the best way is going to be to take the driveshaft, c-beam etc loose and slide the transmission back. But you are going to need a few inches to work in there min.

JrRifleCoach

Ain't easy. But I've accomplished this on my 86

94z07fx3

Is the distributor at risk when you uncouple the trans from the engine on the L98?

JrRifleCoach

Absolutely! Pull it completely out. Lots easier to find the upper bell housing bolts too.
You should also remove the wiper motor cover. (3screws)
You'll only bust a wiper motor cover once. ($$)

Midnight 85

Actually I am considering taking the motor mounts loose the raise the engine a bit and move it forward just enough to get clearance. I feel this is easier than fighting the C beam etc.

ex-x-fire

A trick that worked for me is to get some long 3/8 bolts(use in place of the bell housing bolts) to kinda keep everything in line

tpi 421 vette

Do you have the wrong starter in the car? If the starter doesn't engage it, it sounds like you have a 168 tooth starter with a 153 tooth flywheel. Just an idea.

Midnight 85

Thanks but no, everything is correct. 168 flexplate & starter. I had a cheap mini starter on the engine and it was walking, I started having trouble with it not engaging this past summer and it wore the teeth down on the flexplate.

tpi 421 vette

OK, gotcha. Wishful thinking, a starter is easier to change than a flywheel.

WVZR-1

You do need to check starter index clearance and pinion engagement carefully when doing a new install. There's been a few recently that have issues with flywheel wear etc. It ain't just 2 bolts and turn key!!!!

A higher ended mini has capabilities to modify the pinion index depth. Here's a mini install. The index capabilities aren't covered in this install. The Powermaster FAQS are a good read also. See the comments for the 9000 and 9004:

http://www.powermastermotorsports.com/faq-starter.html

The Powermaster install covers it pretty well: http://www.powermastermotorsports.co..._GMMiniSta.pdf

Midnight 85

I need to backtrack a bit, this past summer I started having trouble with the starter which was probably 6 years old. It had one spot it would not engage. I pulled it out and it had been moving around and the holes were elongated, this is why it stopped engaging correctly. Now that I am working bugs out of my new intake setup it went completely bad so I ordered a new one. This starter worked okay for a short time but then started acting up if the engine had stopped right where the teeth had been chewed up. You are correct about being sure where the gear is engaging but that is not the case here.

JrRifleCoach

Extra long bolts.... That's a great idea.

One last thought.
I bought a well constructed flex plate from Scat last summer.
It had been powder coated and looked great too.
Should this be the case for your replacement, remember to remove the paint to bare metal where the bolts and adjoining surfaces meet the flex plate.
Otherwise the bolts will come loose as the powder coat disintegrates from the localized pressure.

Don't bother asking me how I know this.......

93 ragtop

[QUOTE=Midnight 85;1582487300]Actually I am considering taking the motor mounts loose the raise the engine a bit and move it forward just enough to get clearance. I feel this is easier than fighting the C beam etc.[/QUOTE]

IMO this is a bad idea, You are going to have to make sure your engine harness extends, ps lines flex enough, etc.
FWIW when I had a 86 4+3 I just removed the dist. cap, and let the motor tilt back. Did not damage anything gettting the transmission out. Also, those upper bolts on the transmission are pretty easy to get to with a 3 ft extention and a flex socket. Again, I would bite the bullet, pull the transmission, but just slide it back, on a transmission jack enough to get to your flex plate.

WVZR-1

WELL - once you struggle with this and realize your going to screw it up and then go back to doing it as "93ragtop" mentions you'll really be pi$$ed, it could put you "over the edge" and it's a "long fall".

Midnight 85

It sure wouldn't be the first time I've went over. Actually I went back over the responses and your response about "fine tuning" the starter got me to thinking. I am going to shim just the outer bolt today & see if I can fool the darn thing into working. If that works I may eventually have to change the flexplate anyway but at least it won't be while I am in the middle of getting the engine running right. Thanks!

WVZR-1

If you can take the aluminum block from the starter you could maybe machine the "back-side" so that the pinion would extend further to the rear and deeper into the ring gear. If you're trying to increase the "depth of the mesh" try removing some material from the mounting pad of the starter.

mcm95403

I'm in the end stages of getting a new engine into my 91 and trust me - DON'T think about lifting the enigne! Just do it the right way and drop the trans. The flexplate to crank bolts are torqued to 85 ft/lbs, so you'll need to have something to block the rotation of the crank as you torque the bolts as well and it shouldn't be the crank bolt. You also don't want the enigne flopping around while you try to torque those either.

383vett

Another vote for sliding the tranny back. It's not that bad and you can easily gain the 6" or more you need to remove the flexplate. Of course I have no exhaust and can drop the whole tranny in 1 hr.

Muffin

I would be inclined to remove the engine rather than the C Beam. I can have my engine out in 2 hours, doubt I could do the C Beam that quick and you still have the problem of seperating the engine/trans. In fairness I replaced the flex plate on an old Olds my son had, Replaced the regulsr bolts with longer ones and slid the trans back to gain room. Supported both engine and trans on rolling jacks.