hi all, i have a 2001 , 4.3, 2 door blazer, the starter went out .. replaced the starter and the flywheel broke.. replaced both starter and flywheel, ran it about a month and now i have put 4 starters on this thing as they keep grinding.. it didnt have a shim on it when i took it off so i didnt put one on it. put a new battery in and still grinding any help or advice on how to get this thing fixed as its my only ride to work . tia

 

Do you know how to check the alignment of the starter gear and flywheel teeth?

George

 

yes with a allen wrench, spaced with that .

 

What clearance do you have from the starter teeth peaks to the flex plate teeth valleys?

is the starter gear throw at the correct length so that both sets of teeth are lined up horizontally?

is there any grinding or whining at engagement or as the starter winds down?

George

 

i do not know the clearance of the teeth, the starter does fully engage and it grinds from the time the key is turned to the time it key is let go of.

 

So then what are you measuring with the Allen wrench?


George

 

if the allen wrench fits in-between starter and flywheel ... snuggly .. then that should be the right space unless im wrong. which is usually the case.

 

This does not tell me what clearance you are measuring so lets start from scratch.

There are two considerations. First, how far does the starter pinion gear engage the flywheel gear when it moves laterally towards the starter nose. The second measurement is what is the clearance between the starter pinion teeth and the flywheel teeth while engaged. This video will explain:



George

 

WOW! yeah i am doing this wrong! thanks for this! now to get time to get back on it .. you are a life saver .. i hope that i can get it to work... it worked fine for 3 weeks and now it dont. i really appreciate this and your patience , again thanks!