I just put a new motor in my Iroc and I can't get the starter to function properly.I tried my mini starter that was only on car for 584 miles and I broke it,it kicks in but won't rotate gear.I was to impation to wait on haveing my starter fixed so I went out and bought a new starter.I bought one for a 4.3 V6 beacause of it's small size and so I wouldn't have to undo my Y pipe to install it.
Now I'm on my second one of those,I'm glad I got the one with a life time warrenty. When I hit the key, the starter tries turn the motor but makes all kinds of noise and only moves the motor over about a inch or so.I've got a 168 tooth TCI flexplate.I have 5 different thickness shims that I've cut in half cause the directions said to so I can put one or more on one side and none on other.
I've tried at least a couple dozen combos with the shims and it hasen't changed anything.I've tried unbolting the converter from the flexplate,I double checked to make sure the flexplate was put on correctly,not upside down.I'm out of ideas and at the rate I'm going I'll probably tear up this starter soon and I know the guy at the parts store is not in any hurry to see me again.
Sorry so long but I'm about ready to push my car over a cliff.
All ideas are GREATLY appreciated. Thanks guys Bill

 

why dont you just buy the starter that was meant for the car? im not sure if it makes a difference but its a possibility

 

My SLP Y pipe runs really close to a facotry size starter and I'm trying to cut down on heat soak,I had the factory starter on it once but the Y pipe was really close to it.
Also it's no longer TPI.It's a 1970 block,4 blt. main,carbed and theres not much of anything factory left under the hood.

 

you should really put the starter that was intended or an equivlent because it is intended for that kind of stress and try a starter heat shield they dont take up hardly any space and clip on the starter motor

 

I had a high torqu starter on it and it did the same thing.The motor has 10:25:1 compression and I know that will be kinda hard on a starter intended for a 4.3 but the starter will not inguage the flexplate to turn the motor over.The mini starter and flexplate worked fine together before.Not to be a dick but would you not put headers on a car just because the motor was intended to have manifolds on it from the factory.I dont think so,so whats wrong with upgradeing to a smaller higher torgue starter even if the factory never intended for the car to have one?

 

he said the mini starter broke so he got a 4.3 lit starter and thatw as the issue.nothing wrong at all with mods im all for it wished i could,but thats like trying to pull a tractor trailer with a truck instead of a rig, yeah it will work for a while but its not intened for the stress

 

I know putting a 4.3 starter on a smallblock is like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound but I was just seeking a temp fix till I got my mini high torque starter fixed.Bill

 

I found the cause of my starter troubles and man am I Pissed.
The machine shop untill now I've always used supplyed the 4 blt. block for my new engine.I paid them for the block prep work and the shortblock being assembled.I could of put it together myself but don't really have any place to do it.Anyway after trying a factory third gen starter and haveing the same bad results I closely examined the mounting area and found two cracks going about a 1 1/2" up from the outside hole on the blocks ear.When the starter is bolted on a I hit the key the torque from the starter
causes the cracks to spred and the starter moves slightly throwing the alignment with the flexplate off.I called the machine shop and talked to the owner and he said pull the motor and take it to him and that he could fix it by welding it.I'm not big on the idea of welding castiron at a high stress area of the engine and it lasting.He said with a high nickle welding rod it would weld up and be fine.I'm thinking more on the lines of a new block or a refund.What do you guys think?

 

Properly done, teh nickel alloy weld will be stronger than the cast iron. That is a relatively light area of the casting, but a good welder should be able to repair it. I'm guessing the engine was set down hard or dropped on that corner, or the starter was impacted by something to crack that part of the casting.

I'd be more annoyed with having to remove the engine again.

 

Annoyed,Thats one way to put it.Anyway every since I picked it up I've handled it like a baby.I painted it and took every precaution to keep from messing up the paint job or my new oil pan.The starter holes have been helicoiled and the guy at the shop said himself that the factory never did that so the blocks been fixed in that area before and I don't want a block thats been fixed a half dozen times before.I've got it out and stripped down to the shortblock,loaded and will be takeing it back tomorrow demanding my money back.Wish me luck,Bill

 

That's a bit extreme.... there's nothing wrong with a Heli-Coil. It's usually considered an upgrade.

Get them to fix it or swap it rather than being a jerk about it. It happens all the time, in wrecks, at junkyards, bottoming out the car it used to be in, wherever. It's really not a big deal. It's not the sort of thing that a rebuilder typically checks though.

 

It wouldn't be that big of a deal except this is the second time around with this guy.The first time I supplied everything and he rebuilt my rods,new arp rod bolts,etc.He polished the rods (ground the casting line down the side of the rod) apparently he ground off to much and 584 miles later a rod broke in the middle and wasted my shortblock,all but 3 pistons.This time I bought forged rods and now this happens.It wouldn't be so bad but I spent about $500 on misl. nuts,bolts,gaskets,oil,coolent,etc. and I don't think he's going to reimberse me for that.He charged me
$1549.00 for supplying the block,all the machine work,rebuilding the heads(2 valves got bent when the rod broke the first time),the cam,rings,bearings,8 new forged pistons and assembly.
He reused the timeing chain,oil pump&pickup.My light weight Moroso fuel pump pushrod ,the block motor mounts,and the part that your oil filter screws on to were all missing and I had to pay for new ones.

 

OK got the motor back to the shop and this is what he offered to do.Get me a new bowtie block and put my rotateing assembly in it plus replace all the gaskets I'll need plus oil,antifreeze,ect everything I need to put the motor back in my car and get it running,everything except labor which I get to do,oh boy! and it's supposed to be ready by the first of next week.I could of got my money back but it would of taken some time to round up all the parts and get it all put together before I can even think about dropping it in my car and I'm kinda in a hurry to get her up and running.

 

I don't know. Sounds like he's a decent guy. I know the labor's a big pain in the *ss....... but hey, a new block should fix the problem, right??

 

I hope so.We'll see what happens.

 

Up Date,I finally got my motor back yesterday I repaint it,bolt the heads on ,bolt the starter on and pop,the damn thing cracked AGAIN down the middle of the weld where it was just fixed.So I go the the shop today and tell the owner what happened and he blows up F this and F that.Anyways he said bring the motor back and he 's gonna rebuild my motor useing a new block,Which he should of done in the first place.I'm so over this **** I'm about to wait ,get it running and sell my car and buy a Mustang.
Sorry had to vent.By the way whats the record for the most times a car has had a motor dropped in and out in a two month stretch? Bill

 

i did it 3 times in one week