When I turned the key to start the engine, it turned over just right, but wouldnt start because I forgot to put a power wire into the distributor. So after I did that I went to start it again. It turned over for a second. then it sounded like the starter gear that goes into the teeth came out and just spun freely. When I turned the key off because I heard that, it sounded like a "powering down" from the starter. I put the car in gear and rocked it. That got it to start, but my idle isnt set so it died. I have to rock the car first, and keep it in gear when tryin to start it, but that dosent always work. Whats wrong with it? It worked fine before

it sounds like your solnoid is working, but somthing in the linkage is broke, not allowing the pinion to engauge the starter, you have 2 options, R2 (military talk for remove & replace) the entire starter, ar take it apart and see what's wrong with it, also if you have an allumnum flywheel, or a flexplate with a pressed on or pinned on ring gear that could have let lose, I had mine do that on my flywheel, it sheered all the roll pinsand I had a hell of a time pulling them out of the flywhell

Got under the car and looked at it, the gear in the starter isnt lined up with the teeth on the flywheel. Its past the flywheel, towards the back of the car

is there any shims in there that would make it stick out more than it should? just an idea

is the pinion accualy past the flywheel? I've never heard of that one, if so there defenatly somthing wrong with the bendex drive, I take it you have an aftermarket starter, the stock one's case wraps around if i'm not mistaken

do you mean the gear is past the flywheel teeth? Or is the gear below the flywheel teeth? If it is past the flywheel.. man.. you need another starter.. obviously at one time.. that starter worked for ya.. now it doesnt..

if it is hanging below the flywheel. then you have too much shim in it..

also might want to check for a cracked starter housing.. and while you are under there.. check your flywheel teeth by taking off the flywheel shroud...

unless something is broke i don't think the starter gear can extend too far past the flywheel to not engage. i can't begin to think how you'd even see it. WAG but i tihnk it's time for a new starter.

Its a stock starter. I had to modify it to fit in the bell housing. Grinded a little off the bottom of the starter housing.

The starter housing was cracked. Got a new starter, when to turn the engine over once, cracked the new one worse than the first one. Im thinking the timimg is too advanced causing the engine to start while the starter gear is still engaged in the flywheel?

What sort of a block is your 350 built out of?

what rb said plus are you using starter bolts and did you have to grind it to make it fit?

I am using starter bolts. I had to grind the first starter because it wouldnt fit in the bellhousing cuz it was for an automatic.

What 350 block is it (casting number & date)? What flywheel are you using? Why would you buy another starter you have to grind on, instead of just buying the right one? Are they breaking where you're grinding them?

The block is an '89 roller block. Forget about the grinding, thats done with. Tell me this.... If the timimg is too advanced, could it cause the engine to start while the gear on the starter is still engaged in the flywheel teeth, causing the nose of the starter to crack? I think it makes sense, because when I turned the engine over with the first starter, I didnt have any power to the distributor, so the engine wouldnt start, and the starter worked fine that time. Once I put power to the distributor and went to start it, it cracked. Same thing with the second one.

The engine will always start while the starter is engaged. That's how it works. Then once the engine starts, in the time it takes the human to realize that it has started and to let go of the key, the engine will usually speed up much faster than the starter can go, and the one-way sprag in the starter drive will alow the starter to just spin at its own rate without being forced to spin faster by the engine. That's normal operation.

Don't blame the timing, even though everybody else seems to blame it for everything else. You plainly have a starter issue, not an engine one.

The reason it's breaking is because of an alignment problem. Since you have a 89 block, it's probably not The Problem from the 70s, where alot of blocks have the starter bolt hole pattern drilled too far from the crank, and the teeth aren't close enough together to mesh properly. That's why I asked what kind of a block your 350 is built out of.

You might want to try a couple of shims. Disconnect the motor lead (the little terminal that sticks up out of the side of the starter and attaches to the solenoid) and bend the terminal out of the way so the starter motor won't turn, install the starter completely, have somebody else turn the key for short intervals of time, and watch the engagement of the teeth. Add shims until there's 1/8" (use a drill bit to measure if you need to) of space between the tip of the drive teeth, and the bottom of the valley between the flywheel teeth.

My other thought was an alignment problem. There already was an 1/8 inch space between the drive teeth and flywheel teeth without any shims. And a drill bit was what I used to measure...

Hi guys, I have close to the same problem. I have a 1990 Camaro RS with automatic transmission. The guy I bought it from said the engine is a AcDelco rebuilt 350 V8 from a 1989 Blazer. There was a Acdelco plate on the engine. I replaced the starter with the one that was in there, a stock starter for around $35.00 I turn the key the starter gear pops out, engages with the flywheel but the gears are not lining up so it sound like click click but it slowly turns the engine over but by skipping gears on the flyweel I can see the shavings from the starter gear. click click sound I shimmed it a bunch of different ways still click click. I returned that starter and tried a stock starter from 1989 Blazer and that didn't even match up a little, than I tried a stock starter for a 1990 Camaro manual transmission. I have to return that one because it's way to short but Before I do I need some idea were to go from here. This is where I'm at after doing this all winter. I have trouble cus I'm physically disabled and in pain 24/7. I have read a munch of threads on here I believe you guys are very knowledgeable and will be able to assist me.
Thank you
timman65