This is the second time the nose on my starter cracked and broke off. Of course it wont engage anymore when it does this because the shaft is not centered anymore. Is it because it's not aligned correctly or have I been getting POS's lately !? My first starter lasted for about 6-7 months. This one lasted 3 days.... :/ Thank *** for lifetime warranty!!

 

Does your starter have any shims on it? If not it might need some between the starter and block. usually they give you with a new starter a little rod to measure between the starter teeth and flywheel this measurement should be 1/8 in. if this is not right it would definatly cause your starter casing to crack.

 

Black,

If it was a reman, it's possible that the nose die casting had a crack and the rebuilders didn't inspect it that closely. Either that, or you have one vicious solenoid.

Then again, two in a few days may indicate a different problem. Is the mounting pad for the starter clean and flat (no heavy rust)? It there any evidence of flywheel interference on the broke piece of the starter snout, like a big hammer mark or indentation? Ususally with misalignment there is some pinion gear noise when cranking.

 

Some GM engine blocks and or starters are not machined correctly and you have to add shims between the starter and the block to get the right clearance. I know some guys that if they have a starter that is correctly aligned with no shims they will take their old starter nose and swap it to a new starter so they won't have that problem. I can always tell when I hear a Chevy crank if it's starter is not shimmed correctly because it makes a distinctive grinding noise.

 

Right, that indicates some form of misalignment. If there are shims there now, take them out; if there are none, add some. The starter should engage the flywheel very quietly and spin the motor freely once you get teh clearance right. Add or remove shims until it seems to work the best.

If you can get in there and see it, there should be about 1/8" between the tip of a drive tooth, and the bottom between 2 flywheel teeth. Use a drill bit as a gauge.

 

I used the little pamphlet that comes with the starter to try to shim it. Problem is.. the bellhousig completely wraps around the starter and I can't see anything When I first put it in , it was spinning very quickly and very quietly. For the last couple of days I could definetly hear a loud grinding noise when cranking, but it was STILL spinning quickly. I think when the noise started to happen it's when it cracked. Oh well.... I'm taking it back to AutoZone right now for a replacement.

 

ANSWER is very simple and unimaginable. Fix your timing. You will keep braking the starter nose until you fix the timing, it's off. YOU ARE WELCOMED

 

This thread is 22 years old. I repeat Twenty Two years old. The guy has probably died from old age by now.

 

The reverse rotation engine theory again...

What probably really happened is the manufacturer let the tooling get worn and the wall thickness of the nose housing got too thin. Field gets populated for years before the manufacturer has the self-awareness to fix their problem.

There isn't much money to be made in being a provider of legacy starter motors. The OEM's put their 'A' team on the new stuff, and give the legacy parts to the 'B' team or stop competing altogether. Eventually the legacy market gets owned by low cost, lower-tier aftermarket suppliers and quality gets even more sketchy.

 

Most starter issues are a timing advance problem.

 

Lt1 mini starter is a good one.