I just got a new gear reduction starter and when I try to start the car it skips off the flywheel because the starter gear only covers about half the flywheel. Plus the front of the starter gear is tapered so it doesn't really get a good grip on the flywheel. I can see metal chips of the ring gear teeth coming off. Basically, I need to get the starter gear to go about 3/8" farther out. How would I do this?

Here's a picture of the starter
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2406035294

 

You probably need to shim the starter to get the proper alignment.

 

Ok... but I'm not sure how that would help since it's just not reaching the flywheel. The only thing I can imagine would be a shaving the mounting plate down...

 

I would check the gears on the two starters, to make sure they're both the same. It sounds to me like your new starter has the wrong size gear.


Hellraiser

 

also, make sure that the starter isnt slipping off the teeth vertically, as in when you get wheel hop due to the pinion trying to climb the ring gear. if this is part of the problem, just tighten the mounting bolts.

 

You should also look at your starter mounting bolts. They have knurled shanks and are intended to properly center and align the starter relative to their tapped holes in the engine block. If you use regular bolts without the raised knurled area the started can easily get skewed and be out of alignment with your flywheel.

Its either that or the teeth on your flexplate were already worn out to start with and requires replacement.

My mini starter meshes the same way that you describe, aprox halfway into the flywheel teeth and it works fine. If it engages too deep it may run more risk of getting stuck and not releasing when you release the key.

 

The battery could also be a little low. When my battery gets low, and I turn the key, the starter will not fully engage and will skip off the flywheel. After I charge the battery, it works fine.