i just installed this starter..http://store.summitracing.com/defaul...=egnsearch.asp

i have the goodwrench 350, bowtie 700r4 with 153 flexplate. i got it shimmed right, and it started the engine right away. i noticed that my paperclip i used to shim it would not fit between the gear and flywheel but it was not touching. when i put it in gear i heard metal grinding for a few seconds. it was just touching the end of the starter and it only did it a couple of times when i drove up the road. has anyone else had this problem and if so how did you fix it? i thought about filing the end of the pinion but wanted to ask first.

thanks

 

When you say shimmed, are you talking about between the starter and the engine block, up and down?

I have Summit mini-starter on my 81' Camaro. The starter gear was getting hit by the flexplate under load. Not much, just barely touching.

I shimmed the starter back toward the front of the car by unbolting the aluminum mounting block and installing a shim between the starter and aluminum block. This shim came with the starter, but it was a few years ago, so maybe you did not get this shim.

If your starter did not come with these shims, call Summit and see if they can get some from whoever manufacturers that unit. If not, perhaps shimming it with washers at each bolt will suffice.

Good luck, Ed

 

it didnt come with those shims. ill try your suggestion tomorrow because that is exactly what it is doing. thanks

 

They should carry shims that fit between the starter and the starter block. Give them a call.

I had the exact opposite problem. Backash looked ok but the pinion was about 1/4" from the flexplate. Gave up and put the old starter back on.

 

There are 2 separate shim situations here.

One is the standard starter shims you get at the parts store, that move the starter toward or away from the block. Those change the gear mesh.

The other kind, is just a round circular thing, that spaces the entire starter motor frontwards and rearwards with respect to the aluminum mounting block. It goes between the motor case and the block. Some of the people that mod the Hitachi starters (the ones with a round solenoid) make a provision for that in their mounting block. Those are what are needed to make the drive gear withdraw a bit farther from the flex plate when not in use. You're not going to get those at the parts store.

If Summit doesn't sell them as a service part for their own branded starters, look through all the other mfrs that make mini-starters based on the Hitachi motor, and see if any of them do. Try Hamburger, TCI, PowerMaster, etc. Just check em all. Not CVR, as they use the Nippondenso starter.