Hey everyone new update. I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before but I hear an almost grinding noise coming while trying to start. Possibly when I was adjusting the ground on the starter bolt maybe it’s not on properly or possibly is toast? If not im not sure but here’s a quick vid of the problem I didn’t want to let it go any longer but if I need to so you can hear better i will.
@wentwest
I’ll for sure relocate the ground in the morning
It sounds like the inspection plate is rubbing on the flywheel.
I had one that I had to remove the starter three times and repossition it before I got it to turn over without the noise.
Yosemite
Are you certain the engine is rotating with the key in “start”?
Another idea for what’s going on with the electrical system is that the heat from the high current short has damaged wires in the wiring harness. This would be a particular concern if the big thick wire going directly from the battery to the starter was packed in with other wires in some portion of the wiring harness. Separating portions of the wiring harness bundle may be necessary to do a visual inspection.
About the starter ground wire. Maybe that’s exactly where it is supposed to be for your vehicle. In every car there’s almost always a fairly thick wire from somewhere on the engine/transmission to chassis ground. Often there are multiple instances. This is so the high amperage starter current doesn’t flow through the other path, via the axels & CV joints. Sometimes that ground wire breaks, and the heat due to the current flow through the front axels and CV joints damages the CV joints and/or suspension components. I think a caller on the show had this problem one time, which Tom and Ray correctly diagnosed.
I guess the solution to the location of the ground would be to look at another copy of the exact same vehicle, or ask an experienced mechanic. And, sorry, I can’t hear what you are talking about with the starting sound. Blame my 68 year old ears.
I finally got her to start today after some adjusting of the starter. It still grinds at the beginning but for about a second or 2 then it’s good. Im gonna do a bit more adjusting on the starter and see how it goes. There was a bit of wear on the starter. But only a few teeth were slightly worn so would it still be good? Not sure what the condition of the teeth should be like before replacing is thought about.
If you pull the starter again, it would be a good idea to inspect the flexplate/flywheel teeth. Put a white Liquid Paper mark on the wheel and turn the crankshaft to look at every tooth.
That’s great you got the engine started. That rules out quite a few potential electrical problems. I concur with the advice above to inspect the flywheel teeth asap. Especially it still makes a grinding sound. Everytime it makes that grinding sound, the flywheel teeth likely get rounded off a bit more. You may be able to limit the fix to the starter motor itself if you catch it in time. If the flywheel gets bad enough and needs to be replaced or the teeth reground you’ll have to remove the transmission. If, after checking the flywheel teeth, they look ok, best bet is to replace the starter motor or – this is probably less expensive – take it to a local auto-electric shop and ask them to check everything out, and if all is ok except the gear wear, replace the starter gear which engages the flywheel.
The flywheel is brand new as well, and when I pulled the starter this morning I had a look at the teeth threw the starter hole and there was a few out of the bunch of the teeth were a little rougher then I remember them but not 100% but no major wear or any broken teeth or anything like that.
Presuming the grinding noise is coming from the starter/flywheel interface, either it is caused by wear on the starter’s teeth, or the starter isn’t deploying the correct length to make good contact with the flywheel. I don’t recall if you’ve replaced the starter or not, but if not and it is well-used, might be time to pony up for a replacement. Or have it reconditioned at your local auto-electric shop. It is sometimes necessary to shim the starter so that the gears mesh correctly.
If I had this problem … hmm … at this point, rather than guessing, I’d be seeking out some help form someone local with experience with starter/flywheel symptoms. Pay them to make a diagnosis, then you can do the fix yourself if you are up to it.
I’m pretty much on board with @GeorgeSanJose . You might just have a dirty solenoid or something simple, but the risk of damaging the ring gear is huge - a major expense.
Thanks everyone, I’ll be going to the autoparts store in the morning and picking up a new starter I’d rather not mess my flywheel up after I just replaced it and with winter coming and no garage to work in Id be In for a real fun time dropping the trans again. If the problem persists my wife cleans for a few auto shops so I’ll have her ask around and see if I can get a diagnosis
So I took my starter in to get tested last night, the guy ran the test 3 or 4 times and each one came back good.
I didn’t pick up the new starter yet, they didn’t have one for my car in the city so I figured I’d do some thinking before I drop 200$ on a new starter when mines coming up good.
Guess I’ll try aligning it a few more times possibly it’s just a bit off or sitting weird or something.
Probably completely unrelated but while I was searching the description of the issue im having i came across this flyer that has me wondering.
https://www1.remyinc.com/webpictures/techtips/TBSTR01.pdf
It’s about GM but at the bottom where it says gap to tight that is the exact description of my problem. Im wondering if maybe I should add a washer or 2 as “shims” just to see what happens ? Any thoughts on this idea? Other then that im out of ideas. Might have to suck it up and head to an auto shop
Looks like this flyer has some good thoughts. Can you see any wear marks on the starter gear or the ring gear yet?
This is not the type of GM starter that uses shims. With the type that uses shims the mounting bolts run perpendicular to the starter (vertically). On yours they run in parallel to the starter (horizontally). I wouldn’t use shims.
@Wentwest no wear at all on the gear thats noticeable anyway. I’ve inspected it all the way around got right in there with a light and couldnt see any. The starter has minimal wear here’s a pic
@MY 2 CENTS ah I see I didn’t know the mounting position on the gm that’s just the best description of the problem I could find while doin a bit of searching
“my wife cleans for a few auto shops”
Your wife has a pretty hard job, I’d say. Most of the mechanics I’ve known . . . myself included . . . are pigs
If anybody begs to differ, congratulations! That makes you an exception to the rule
From the picture, looks to me like only the tip of the gear is engaging (gear isn’t extending all the way in).
That’s because the gear on the Bendix drive is much wider (longer) than the teeth on the flex plate/ flywheel. If the other end of the gear showed in the illustration you would see the same thing.
Edit: Hold on - Insightful may be right. As I look at the illustration again I realize that the top of the photo is the nose. It didn’t enlarge properly the first time.
I agree, it does not look like it fully engaged. Why? I don’t know. Are you sure it’s the right starter?
Since we really don’t know how far away the ring gear (the gap between the two gears) is from the end of the bendix gear it is hard to say how far the gear will travel into the ring gear. It looks like it should go in further but the gap between the two may not allow that to be. The distance between the two could be measured using the mounting surface for the starter as a reference. I suspect though that the travel of the bendix isn’t a problem. I do wonder if the noise that you are hearing may be due to the bushing for the bendix gear. Cleaning the end and applying a small amount of oil to the bearing surface may solve the issue. If that doesn’t do it I would try a replacement starter. You could try getting a good used one from a salvage yard if you have limited funds and you are trying to save on repair costs.