Hey guys. I had some guys helping me out in another thread, but I decided that this needed a new thread because this is a seperate topic. Anyways, I installed a mini starter on my 350 and ended up using all the shims that came with it to get the starter to sit where i need it. The only issue now is when the bendix engauges the flexplate the starter makes an almost grinding noise. Its almost an electric buzz that sounds like a grind. I watched the starter as it tried to turn over the motor and it looked like it struggled. What gives?

 

Did the shims improve it?

Then add more. See what happens. Put in however may, or few, makes it the best it can be.

 

Did you get the right starter for your flexplate?
because it sounds like the Bendix may have the wrong gear or it's not engaging the flexplate.

Also be sure of this: The mounting pad and shims on the mini starter should be the same thickness as the mounting pad of the original starter.

if you are thicker then the Bendix gear is not fully engaging the flexplate.
actually the mounting pads should be the same, the mini-starter just has a smaller body.

Did you try it without any shims?

if it's installed correctly you should only hear the starter motor running.. no gear grinding noise.. nada..

 

Did you actually verify the backlash of the pinion gear with respect to the ring gear? In other words, extend the bendix and measure the backlash. The mfg. should have instructions on how to do so. Too much or too little backlash will cause problems.

Another thing I ran into with the mini-starters on my 2 pc RMS block is that the flywheel sits a little further away, and as a result the bendix cant quite engage the ring gear properly. Only about 40% of the ring gear teeth actually made contact with the pinion on the starter on several that I tried. The only one that works on my setup is the stock GM metric FWD starter.

Lastly, dumb question, but are you using the correct style bolts? Starter bolts also act as dowel pins to locate the starter, so getting the right matching bolts is important.

 

i don't think i've seen the word "Bendix" used in place of "starter drive" this many times in one thread...

i've worked on, owned, and taken apart a LOT of small block Chevy powered cars over the last 25 years, and i've never needed to put a starter shim in one to get things to mesh right unless there was a bargain basement starter involved..
what kind of a mini starter is it? if it is a Proform, that's your problem right there.. get a stock style starter, use the correct matching bolts (make sure they aren't bent- it's easy to do) and don't look back- i love the LT4 Vette starter in my car.

 

http://www.allstarperformance.com/do...ni_Starter.pdf

I hope my Proform starter I installed on my Nova turns out okay. I bought two other brands that I had nothing but trouble with and could not get them to clearance correct. New starters should not need shims. A rebuilt starter may need them as they sometimes milled them to make the surface flat.

 

All-star performance = "cheap hecho en China parts"

I do not buy anything from Allstar, Pro-form etc. because quality control is an issue with those brands.

This hobby can be expensive so yes the allure of the cheap price is hard to resist, but that allure is quickly forgotten when you have to replace the inferior part due to a premature failure or poor quality control.


A starter / alternator shop can get you a OEM mini-starter. I did this 12 years ago on mine and "0" issues.

but you do need to make sure you get the right starter for your flexplate, or vice versa. SBCs can use 153 or a 168 tooth flex plate.

 

Some blocks do need shims. Mine does. ALL my starters come out to needing the same shim set. My last engine never needed them. Its not just the starter that impacts whether shims are needed or not. Its something that should always be checked, just to be safe IMO.

But in this case he should not need to use them all, so it sounds like a possible mismatch in parts, too.

 

Just to post an update. I haven't worked on the car in a while. Being in the military takes up alot of my time, but I did get the starter to work. I will however need to remove it again, as I think it will get in the way of the long tube headers.