I did some searches... Still searching.

I put a working starter from another engine onto my engine with the same size flexplate, but when I turn the engine over, the starter gear hangs up.
I tried some shims and that still didn't help.
A local electrical shop with a good reputation told me that the spacing between the starter shaft and the edge of the ring gear should be .125" and too tight or too loose can cause the gear to hang up.
I'm having a hard time seeing how too loose could cause a hang up. But right now the spacing is .135" +or-.005".
I'm thinking that possibly there is an alignment issue other than the spacing between the two gears.
Could someone provide me with some input on this, please.
Is .125" between the starter shaft and ring gear a good number?
Also the starter I'm using is from a 1pc seal motor and I'm trying to use it on a 2pc seal engine, could that be the problem?

Thank you, as always

 

ttt

Help out if you can.
I'm still having trouble with this, and the guys that I've asked around town are about useless.
I'm beginning to think that my starter must have an oversize gear on it or something. Is there any such thing?

The gear snaps back just the way it should when the starter is off the car, but when it's mounted on the engine the gear hangs on the flexplate and so far I've shimmed it .090"

I'd like to find out if there's a way of checking the starter shaft alignment compared to the engine's crank centerline, cause i think it's off in that way.

 

I've personally never tried to install a starter from a 1 peice block onto a 2 peice block, we've always used the very generic method of checking mesh.

After the starter is bolted into place we pry out the starter gear so it's in place meshed with the flexplate. I take a normal size paper clip and try to stick it between the meshing gears. If it's too tight I'll start to add shims, I've personally over ran into one sbc that required shim, but I know there's alot of circumstances out there that could lead to every incident having it's own set of problems.

 

Thanks IHI

I'll try the paperclip method.
I think the front of the starter is high in relation to the rear of the starter (slanted)
The metal on the starter mounting area is compressed some, its a 35 yr old block and it looks like it's compressed with use over the years, possibly causing a misalignment issue.
Is this a problem that anyone's familiar with?