86 Lariat XLT 5.0 Starter Bolts
 

Hello from South Mississippi,
My old Ford has been doing good but I have a new issue that has me stumped.
I believed the starter went out that had been replaced about 3 years ago. I finally got the old starter off after a problem with getting the bottom bolt off. I go to put the new starter in and the top bolt slides in and out it will catch the threads when you turn it but with very little pressure you can pull it in and out. I bought new 3/8 bolts and the same thing happens. When I look up the size it says it should be 3/8.
Questions;

• Is the top bolt a different size? If that was so I wouldn't think it would have worked for the last 3 years.
• Could the threads on the mounting bracket have worn down?
• Should I try a bigger bolt?
• Could the old starter be good and the top bolt was just causing it to miss the gears on the motor.

The reason for thinking the starter was bad in the first place was when engaging the starter it would make a whirring sound for lack of a better word but never catch. Please help, I'm a novice mechanic at best, but I love my old FORD and I can't launch the boat and go fishing without him.
From the Pascagoula Swamp,
Phillip

The hole is stripped.

1st thing to do; Run something small and thin in the hole with the starter off. Does it go all the way through to daylight in the back? If it does, you can get a very long bolt and stick it through and then put a nut on the backside.

2nd thing, if it's a blind hole with a bottom, take your thin something and run it to the bottom, mark where it's even with the starter mounting surface, and then pull it out and compare it with the bolt you bought to determine the depth of the hole. There is a chance if it's a blind hole, there may be some good threads in the bottom of the hole that you can use with a slightly longer bolt. If they do not make a bolt the right length, get one as close as you can but a little long, and then make up the difference with some washers stacked under the bolt.

3rd thing to do, you will have to drill it and heli-coil it. I doubt you can do this yourself.

Nevermind... was going to post something but decided not to.

Is this bolt threading into the bell housing or the starter?
If starter then with your old one and new one side by side try the bolt in both if it threads into your old and just pushes in to the new take the starter back where you got it with the bolt and show them what is going on.

If into the bell housing maybe the hole was stripped and had a coil installed and it came out when you removed the bolt?
Will a larger bolt even go thru the starter hole?
Dave ----