starter engagement problem please help
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
starter engagement problem please help
i have a 79 ford f-350 with a 400 and np435 trans. the starter sounds like its grinding the flywheel and ive replaced the starter 4 times. each time as soon as i put the starter in it starts perfect but after a few starts it starts grinding. ive tried a few autozones and a good quality starter but all the same. now i replaced the flywheel 1 time and the ringgear1 time. only because when i got the truck i was told it was a 351 motor so i got parts for a 351. so after the 351 starter screwed upmy new flywheel i got a ringgear still didnt realize the starter was wrong tryed it again and still starter grind. then i changed the starter for a 400 starter. it didnt seem to take too much off the the teeth of the ring gear. there is what seems to be a good amount of teeth left. ive been reading about a shim i can put in between the starter.does anyone think this will help me? or am i going to have to replace the ringgear again?
Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
hmm well First make sure you got the correct flywheel an ring gear on it. ( think you do by now) then make sure you've got the correct starter in it.. ( think you got that now. measure the " throw " of the shaft as it jumps out towards the ring gear. and add that to where it mounts an where the ring gear sits.. If things are warn too much by the previous happenings then yeah replace whats warn too much but really in my mind.. things would have to be warn quite a bit. Anyway when you have the measurement of stuff that should tell you if your short.. how much shim you'll need. Pics help people help you as well. ( plus folk like me just like pictures in general )
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
yea i have all the right parts now. as for the shim help sells one that i think is just 1 shim and 1 thickness. its part number 02361. i will post pics as soon as i can. but im just hoping someone else has had the same problem and can tell me if the shims will help or not. its winter here and im really not trying to do the flywheel again in the snow if i can help it.
Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
oh i don't blame you, frozen fingers blow goats. Did this starter set up have a shim on it when you first got it.. I would think , could be wrong but, that a replacement starter would just pop into place using same hardwhere and any existing ( if so) shims...
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
as far as i hear fords dont use shims. but im thinking with all this reman stuff something isnt meshing right and help makes them for a reason. also im just using regular bolts holding the starter dont know if the starter bolts are specific. i know they have the shoulder on them and im using bolts that are threaded all the way to the bolt head. dont know if that will make a differance but i dont know what else it could be. it really seems like there isnt much gear taken off the flywheel maybe just the tips but i dont feel like that would make a differance the flywheel should catch more than just the tips. i will post a pic of the flywheel maybe tommarrow just to show everyone.
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
ok yea ur right its the same starter but i had a differant part number on the first starter maybe it was for something else.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
Ok i tryed the shim now the starter wont touch the flywheel at all. maybe its too thick? its .100 thick. anyway here is a pic of the flywheel there should be enough teeth on it right?
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026
Brett Foote
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time
Joe Kucinski
Certified Thread Hijacker
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 14,441
Likes: 59
Wow, that is nasty!
Looks like the starter isn't meshing one bit with the ring gear since the tops of all the teeth are chewed off.
Something isn't right, and beyond moving the starter closer to the engine block or having the ring gear bigger, not sure what the deal is.
Josh
Looks like the starter isn't meshing one bit with the ring gear since the tops of all the teeth are chewed off.
Something isn't right, and beyond moving the starter closer to the engine block or having the ring gear bigger, not sure what the deal is.
Josh
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 95
Likes: 0
well like i said if i loosen the bolts jiggle the starter hold it close to the block while im tightening the bolts it meshes great.. ill start it a few times then it will start gringing again. there is alot of clearance in the bottom bolt hole not sure if its kicking itself out away from the starter each time i start it.
Post Fiend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,325
Likes: 14
From: Island Southeast Alaska
I can't tell from the pic. But is the indexing plate there? The tin plate that goes between the bell housing and the engine block? I have seen this problem when that was not installed.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,674
Likes: 16
From: Ideeho
It's been a while since I've looked at a 351M/400 ring gear so I'm not sure if this is an option............But are the teeth on one side of the ring gear tapered to aid in pinion engagement? In other words..........is it possible that when you replaced the ring gear you got it on upside down? The reason I mention this is I just did this exact thing last night at work on a big Cummins. Luckily, I caught it before I installed the flywheel.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,503
Likes: 0
From: Southaven,Ms
well like i said if i loosen the bolts jiggle the starter hold it close to the block while im tightening the bolts it meshes great.. ill start it a few times then it will start gringing again. there is alot of clearance in the bottom bolt hole not sure if its kicking itself out away from the starter each time i start it.