Problem with starter...shims?
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Freshman User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 31
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From: Jacksonville, FL
Problem with starter...shims?
Bought a new starter and installed today, along with solenoid & battery. Starter sounds too tight, like it needs a shim, but as I recall, the way they mount this thing, a shim wouldn't do much good. The starter is an Ultima reman unit. Maybe I should try an exchange?
Truck is a 77 F100 300/3spd.
Truck is a 77 F100 300/3spd.
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 31
Likes: 0
From: Jacksonville, FL
I got the starter listed for the manual trans, with the power wire connection on the 'back end' of the starter...which is really a tab on the front. The old starter sounded fine. At least as far as engagement goes.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,038
Likes: 4
From: South west Idaho
If you still have the old starter ,check to see if the nose of it is the same as the new one. Auto transmission ones will be longer by about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. They may have boxed it up wrong and marked it as a standard. NAPA , sells spacer rings you can stack together , I used one for a while until i needed a replacement starter ,then i got the correct one.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 502
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Shims? Thats the general crap bowtie stuff. Ford never ever had shims for their starters, ever that I have heard of.
Make sure its the correct flexplate/flywheel. Im guessing its some chinese rebuilt starter contraption.
My 1969 429 rolls over great with the 1994 460 pmgr starter, with some minor wiring upgrades.
Gm and Chev are the only shimmable starters that I know of, poor engineering, figure it out yourself crap.
Egads, Im glad I havent heard that mechanical nightmare sound for along time, of an improperly shimmed bowtie, grinding or whining like nails on a chalkboard...
Make sure its the correct flexplate/flywheel. Im guessing its some chinese rebuilt starter contraption.
My 1969 429 rolls over great with the 1994 460 pmgr starter, with some minor wiring upgrades.
Gm and Chev are the only shimmable starters that I know of, poor engineering, figure it out yourself crap.
Egads, Im glad I havent heard that mechanical nightmare sound for along time, of an improperly shimmed bowtie, grinding or whining like nails on a chalkboard...
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 31
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From: Jacksonville, FL
That's exactly what this one sounds like. A grindy whine is the best phrase, just like a GM needing the thicker of the 3 shims. It's an Ultima, bought from O'Reilly's, did not check to see if it was Chinese/Taiwanese, Singapore, Thailand, India, whatever.
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Elder User
Joined: Apr 2003
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I hate rebuilds. Spent some time on my last rebuilt starter, rebuilding it after I found one of the bendix engagement tangs was broken. By the looks of it, most of the parts were just heavily bead blasted and re-used. It still took 3 starters to make one decent, and with 0 guage custom wires and grounds, was not good. Then I did the starter upgrade, brand new, not rebuilt, with shipping was cheaper than a crappy local rebuild.
I had hot soak slow start, no starts before, and now it just turns over like a smallblock with no plugs in it!
I had hot soak slow start, no starts before, and now it just turns over like a smallblock with no plugs in it!
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