Stupid starter

[Boss 351]

Well any starter I seem to put there doesn't work too well. It makes a weird noise, not like a usual Ford starter. After a few starts, it will stop working. The electric motor will turn but you hear a God awful grinding noise. I take the starter out, it seems fine and the flywheel is in great shape also. It feels like the gear can't catch onto the flywheel, as if something is blocking it?

I think the problem could be that my flexplate is broken and the starter is flush with the bellhousing (no flexplate around the starter). Since the flexplate is pretty thick, maybe the starter isn't in a good spot anymore. I also have a pretty nasty battery, it has 1000CCA so maybe it's a bit much too?

With the faulty timing chain I had on this before, I managed to kick the starter a few times. So bad once, that the starter housing cracked. I just hope my bellhousing isn't crooked. The flywheel was turned at a machine shop recently and they didn't tell me anything about it being no more good.

 

[Daggar]

If there is supposed to be gap where your starter mounts that's no longer there due to a broken or missing part then you need to shim the starter out to that thickness. Your battery is not the problem. It could be a million amp battery but the starter is only going use what it uses. If you have not already swapped out your solenoid then it's time. A weak solenoid can still provide the necessary voltage and current to spin the motor and still not provide enough to operate the starter bendix correctly. There's also the possibilty that your bendix is bent if your missing part or incorrectly shimmed starter in placing the starter gear at an odd angle. You may be bending them as quickly as you're replaceing them if that's the case.

 

[slow93]

by flexplate,do you mean the metal plate that goes between the motor and tranny...if that is gone you will have to get a shim.they sell the shim you need at autozone or just about any other parts store.it should be in the help section with all the little odd and end parts.also check the teeth on your flywheel all the way around, i have had them before to just be bald on one spot and it would start fine unless it hit that spot.anyways,good luck.

 

[Boss 351]

Yeah sorry I meant intermediate plate... I just found out Ford had different starters for manual and automatic? I'll get a new intermediate plate and starter today