Is anybody here running a factory gear reduction starter on their truck?

Is there anything special you had to do to make it work (besides bolting it on and it working perfect)?

I just picked up a gear reduction starter for my '86 with auto trans. This was listed for a 1995 with a 351w and auto trans. When I start it, the engine will spin the starter for a second before the teeth disengage. Is this one of those times where I need to shim the starter?

The reason for going with this starter is the old style just doesn't have the power to turn over my engine when it's hot.

 

And I thought you were going to ask what is everybody using.
Not on my truck but AMC drag car RobbMc Performance Products - RobbMc Mini-Starters
Great customer service from where I have seen posted for the AMC group.


Don't know if I can help but when AMC went to the gear reduction starters the fly wheels & flex plates changed to match up right.
Think it had something to do with how deep the ring gear is from the back of the block between the 2 types.


Is there a way to see if when the gear reduction starter came out did the fly wheel & flex plates change too?

Also how do you shim a ford starter washers?
Dave ----

 

Different trannies, so don't know. After seeing Pioneer has wrong part numbers in their catalog, I don't think I can trust them.


Umm, pretty much:

Dorman Help! 02359 - Starter Alignment Shim | O'Reilly Auto Parts

Only $5.00, may be worth a try.

When I first seen these years ago, I just laughed. Now, I wonder.... was somebody thinking...

 

The permanent magnet starters need to be wired differently. You have to move the starter cable on the fender mounted solenoid to the battery side so that the battery post on the starter is hot all the time. Then run a 10 gauge wire from the empty post of the fender mounted solenoid to the switch terminal of the starter mounted solenoid. You can't just put a jumper from the battery terminal to the switch terminal on the starter, it'll stay engaged. You want to use the fender mounted solenoid to supply power to the switch terminal of the starter. It's important to keep the starter solenoid battery terminal hot all the time.

 

Maybe that's where I went wrong. I ran a jumper between the two terminals on the starter. That's how we always hooked up that style...but they were aftermarket ones. I'll try the other way.

 

True as that is how mine is wired in the drag car and works great.


I did not know the Ford GR starter was a permanent magnet starter.
Are all GR starters permanent magnet?
Dave ----

 

The ones I have messed with all seem to be permanent magnet, that is why the motor is such a small diameter.

I haven't heard of engagement problems using the jumper, but have heard of disengagement problems. When you release the key and the Ford starter relay on the fender opens, the new style starter is still spinning(but winding down) and as it's doing this is becomes a voltage generator for a short period of time. This voltage can back feed into the starter's solenoid and give the solenoid a delay, keeping it from disengaging for a moment, causing the engine to spin the starter gear more than it should.

 

The "old style" starter should turn your engine over just fine when it's hot. You have a problem somewhere if it doesn't.

How old and in what condition are your battery cables? Check the ground connection where the negative battery cable attaches to the engine block. I had a problem similar to yours once and it tuned out to be a rusty nut and washer where the ground connection to the block was. After I cleaned it up, my truck was able to fire off a hot engine with even 16 degrees of ignition timing with no problem!

 

That's exactly what mine is doing. It stays engaged for a second or two after the engine fires. Gotta switch those wires before I wreck something.


New cables, took a small angle grinder (air powered) and cleaned the connection on the block. Even cleaned the connections again before pulling the starter. I think the old starter was just getting weak, as it was pretty old, so I figured why not upgrade right away.
The new engine is about 10:1 compression and still fairly tight. Gotta run it and get it broken in the rest of the way.

 

Hooked up the battery cable to the starter and the switched wire (coming from the fender mounted relay) to the solenoid and all is good.

 

If only the valve noise was that easy to find & fix!
Dave ----

 

No doubt. What a thorn in my side that turned out to be.

Took the truck for a good ride today and it (and the starter) performed flawlessly.

<- That's me happy now.