Why is gm the only automobile that has to have starter shims I know ford dont so what is the deal with this it is a pain.

 

Apparently you've never had much to do with AMCs and older Mopars...

Ford bolted their starters in hrizontally from the nose, allowing no adjustment for gear engagement. They also had a fairly ingenious moving pole piece to engage the bendix into the flywheel. Ever wonder why they got away from that?

Later,
Vader

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"Some Body...Someone"

 

No I am not really up on mopar technical problems although my brother-in-law owns a 68 GTO I am real fond of this car it is real example of american horsepower at its best.
thanks for the reply

 

Just the way they mounted the starter. The aluminum nose cone also contributes to the problem. It flexes, crushes, and distorts. Every rebuilt starter I have ever had had a big crushed area under the mounting flange. Usually I machine the mounting pads to get the starter aligned instead of using shims. Funny enough, about the time I get them down flat and smooth again it lines up right. What is your trouble? Shimming a starter isn't a real big deal, sounds like you may not be doing something right if it has you wired up.

 

well i bought this starter which was supposed to be new not rebuilt and when I installed it everything was fine and after words it started making noises when you turned the key over it is not the starter itself i dont like it is the method of mounting it.

 

Where did you buy the starter? Many years ago I tried to get a brand new GM starter from the dealer, they said it would be $380 and I would have to wait a month or two for them to pull it off the assembly line. The only new starters I know of are aftermarket. I would think that its probably a rebuild if it is a stock style starter. How long went by before it started making noises? You may have cracked the nose cone or bent a mounting bolt.

[This message has been edited by Dr. Pepper (edited July 23, 2000).]

 

i agree gm starters suck. i own a ford and a 68 plymouth road runner, no problems with the starters at all. but on my camaro, i have put about 5 starters on it, correctly shimmed, yet each one only lasted a few weeks or months. they either cracked or just went out. i finally bought a high torque mini starter and hadnt had a problem since. my brother also owns a camaro and i just put a new starter on it for him.

 

I usually get about a 100,000 miles out of my GM starters before they begin to give trouble. most recently was on '93Z28 95,000 miles. One day my wife started the engine and the starter never quit spinning. I now have that starter in my '84 and it works great.

 

It was about 500 miles before I noticed the noise it is a sound of disengagement that it makes like when the car does not start on the first crank. The starter was aftermarket but I think Ac delco and was supposed to be new the rebuilt ones were cheaper.

 

Qwerty, has the right answer. Once a yr I was putting in a new starter. Switched to Mini torque no more problems. Best 120 I've spent on it so far.

 

I just put a new (well, rebuilt) starter in my '85 Z28, and it went right in without the shims. Every once in a while when I turn the key, however, it will emit a grinding sound that sounds just like turning the key when the engine's already on. But after I turn it off and crank it again, its fine. (Who knows? Maybe I should've used the shim!)

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`85 Z28 5.0L TBI
Don't ever be:
Found On Road Dead!