Clearly something is wrong, I'm wondering why you are considering removing material to deal with that.

You say the PO replaced a few things to try and deal with this problem but I'm feeling like he's lying and feeding you sheite...

Was it you who NumberDummy is looking for a telephone number for? Did you ever talk to him? He would be able to tell you how many variants of that spacer/alignment/shim plate between the block and bell housing they made and the chances of you having a "wrong" one causing your problem.

But it's cold and wintertime and I can totally understand not wanting to be under there doing this kind of work... if ovaling out a hole in a starter motor handles your problem for the time being, well, fine, then do that, but I personally wouldn't want to damage or alter that spacer plate/shim plate; that action can't be un-done without major work....

 

The 10 tooth drive you need is Accurate 3-353 or D353, Approximately .030 larger diameter. I have had this issue myself and although the starters are all for the same application some have slightly larger or smaller index rings as well as slightly larger bolt holes. In particular a new NAPA made starter will not even touch my ring gear. Where as an old Motorcraft starter from an unknown source works perfect.
My advice in future rebuild the original starter cause the remans from whoever will bolt up but may or may not work. Often they do work for a limited time, always failing after dark and in the woods.

ps, make very sure your cables are excellent and well grounded these starters seem to need all the battery can give not to slip or hang up

 

You are so right Chris. I don't want to alter the block plate.
And yes ND Bill has my number but I am deaf so calling on
the phone don't work well. We have talked before as I have a
phone with an adaption to help me hear. So as of now I am
waiting for him to call or email me and line me out the best he
can. The man is amazing in his knowledge. Anyway I will Put the
modified starter back in in the morn and not clearance the block
plate. If it don't hook up than I may go that far. But not wanting too
for the reason you stated. It can't be reversed without changing it out.
I am hoping to hear from Bill on the Escort 1.9 10 tooth starter drive to
get a part number on it I can take to Napa. If such a thing will work than
if this starter that I drilled out and will install in the morn don't hook up
I will wait to get the 10 tooth drive. If not than I will clearance the plate
to get it running so as to get it to the shop to do the trans swap to an M5OD.
At that time it will get the plate from the M5OD truck and all should be good.
I really want to drive the Bronk for the rest of my days and to do that it needs to
be a manual. Nothing wrong with the C6. For an Auto I love it and can overhaul
it almost blind. A simple thing once on the bench. But ya just can't bump start it
or crawl around on old deer hunting roads in low range as well. Or deep
snow and like that. Please keep the info coming Chris and the rest of you
guys. You have no idea what this help means to me. I really want to get
past this starter problem and move on to the other things I want for her.

Good night Guys. I will check back in the AM. And again thanks for
taking the time for me.

 

Wow what timing for you to pop in just as i was signing off. I will call on
that part number in the morn. And yes this is very much what I am
finding with the 6 or 8 different starter I have put in. Some work. And
some don't at all. I had a great one that no other drive would fit on as
the shaft was a different spline. It worked well until the battery took a
dump. And as you said the low volts got it to slip and that was all she
wrote. So here we are today. The chance of getting another starter like
the last one will be prolly impossible. But now that I know what to look
for maybe I can take it in and look through Napa's inventory and find
another.

Thanks Trevis

 

Just happened to have that box on my desk, was looking for an online source as I have a 100 mile round trip to only "local" parts house that stocks it. I have had a couple of starters that the index ring would not even fit in the block spacer hole. If you have a housing that works, you might switch in the rest of the starter.

 

Trevis or anyone/ I am looking for conformation on this part
before I call the knuckle heads at my not so local Napa.

The Accurate D353 or 3-353 seems to cross over to a
BK 6561137.



It said it is a 10 tooth drive and looks just like the 9 tooth one I am
replacing. Can anyone check me on this as I want to be sure. It's like
150 miles round trip to town for anything. I will call Brillo Head the
Napa parts guy now and see what he has.
Just looking for a little more verification on this Is all.

Thanks Arctic.

 

E6FZ-11350-A .. 1.9L Starter Drive (Motorcraft SD-327) - 1985/90 Escort/Lynx / Obsolete

 

Thanks Bill. And thanks for the phone call. Was great to hear
from you. Even for a deaf guy.

 

Yeah what's up with that.. Personal Tech Support phone calls from retired Ford parts managers, your girlfriend is crawling under the truck bending wrenches? I just ain't doin' it right I guess!

 

Just to add insult to injury as they say. I am 61 and the GF is
21 and is 105 pounds and PG as well. Are ya feeling it yet?

 

I got that at a starter re-builder, can't find at major parts places or online..
Can say it worked on my '85.

 

Okay so here is "the rest of the story". The last starter I had
that just stripped the Bendix or drive gear Is a 10 tooth.
It has lasted the longest of any for sure. I tried to change out
just the drive with a new one before I opened up the top hole.
The new drive would not fit over the end of the Armature. The
10 tooth starter shaft is bigger. I never realized this was a 10
tooth until ND Bill had me on the phone yesterday and we really
got to looking at it all. So I wonder if this going to be the case with
the new 10 tooth I just ordered and is still two weeks out? Does any
of this even ring a small bell Trevis? So the only option I can see at
this point is that the new 10 tooth drive when I get it will only fit
the armature that already had a 10 tooth on it. I am starting to get so
confused. Is anyone else?

 

All the dozens or so Ford starters I've had apart had the same size shaft, I've changed bushings, drives, switches and housings to make things work. Only difference I noted is the housing/drive is long or short depending on Standard or Auto trany. And the varying index ring.

 

Okay I still have not got the 1.9 escort starter drive. It's back ordered.
But I did salvage a 10 tooth mini starter from a 300 I6. Does anyone know
anything about these? On the bench I cant get the drive to pop out at the
same time the motor engages. It has a solenoid on the starter. How the
hell do ya wire this thing to the stock solenoid on the fender? I think if
I can get this to engage and motor at the same time it could work. But so far
It will not motor with the drive engaged. Like the solenoid is robbing all the amps.
But it will motor like heck when just the motor is powered. As soon as I kick in the
drive it stops or turns slow with no power.

Any input on this please?

 

Take your jumper cables and hook the neg of the battery to the case of the starter, and hook the + to the large stud terminal on the solenoid on the starter. It should just sit there and not do anything. Then take a small piece of wire and jump from the large + jumper cable to the small terminal on the starter solenoid. Put your foot on the starter motor to hold it down and then jump it with the little wire. It should shoot out and turn the gear.

If that works, take the large wire on the truck that used to go from the fender solenoid to the starter, put one end on the large lug on the starter, and put the other end on the same side of the fender solenoid that goes to the battery. Basically putting the battery all the time on the starter.

Then take a new small wire and hook it on the side of the fender solenoid where the large starter wire used to be, and run it down to the small terminal on the starter that made it go.

Now when you kick in your Ford fender solenoid, it will send a signal down the new small wire and trigger the new style starter.