Re: Chevy Smallblock starter question...

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 05:07:29 GMT, ray
<rollingviolation@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

76 Camaro Dirt Track Car... starter is (was) a rebuilt bigblock HD one,
that's been given a new nose to match the flywheel, and the gear
(bendix?) swapped for a used one when it jammed in the 307's bent
flexplate.

Was working fine. We had to pull the engine for oilpan repair (6 quart
circle track pan + inner tie rod grease fitting = hole.)

The car has three switches - power, ignition, and start. (makes it easy
to bump the starter without the ignition coming on.)

What started happening was the starter button appeared to jam on - spin
and spin and spin. Hitting the main power switch didn't kill it either.
Had to pull the battery cable. We did the "screwdriver" test across
the terminals with the main power off (only the big power wire is still
live straight from the battery) and it did the same thing - had to pull
the battery cable. Double checked all the wiring and the switch - same
thing.

We pulled the starter, and started dismantling it. Everything looked
ok, so we double checked the connections and bench tested it - ok...put
it back in the car, same thing.

There was nothing wrong with the starter -- only the installation.

the closest thing I could find in the shop manual taked about replacing
the "clutch" and showed the gear assembly which engages the flywheel as
being possibly bad, so we swapped it for one in a rebuild kit. That
appears to have fixed it, but I'm wondering if that was just dumb luck
or if that could actually have been the problem.

From what I can tell it's like the circuit that pulls the plunger and
everything "forward" when engaged was staying energized even when you
disconnected it (we have a quick connect on the firewall for pulling the
engine) and not disengaging.

The only "good" out of this is that I didn't discover this at the track.

Ray

Your spacing between the starter and the flywheel is way too tight.
This is precisely what happens when you need to add shims.

Some people feel that you should use a Ford-type starter "solenoid"
close to the battery to activate the starter and then hotwire the
starter main feed and solenoid terminals together. This is what I do.
Its a safety advantage in that you don't have that big heavy cable
capable of carrying arc welding level current hot all the time in the
event of a crash. As all dirt track racers know -- crashes are part
of dirt-track racing!

Don
www.donsautomotive.com
Fellow dirt track racer since my 50th birthday in1996.
6 Feature wins first rookie year!
Currently IMCA Stockcar #51


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Chevy Smallblock starter question...
    ... We had to pull the engine for oilpan repair (6 quart ... The car has three switches - power, ignition, and start. ... We pulled the starter, and started dismantling it. ... As all dirt track racers know -- crashes are part ...
    (rec.autos.tech)
  • Re: OT; 3-wheeler doesnt start
    ... starter torque to the flywheel. ... adjustable but a timing light seems to show a flash at the correct 10 ... I put gas or starting fluid in the spark plug hole and NO firing. ... I was so convinced the flywheel key had sheared that I removed the ...
    (rec.crafts.metalworking)
  • Re: heres a stupid question re: Outboard starter....
    ... alternator by the time you fabricate the brackets & source all of the ... Another thing to note is that seeing you engine ... does the flywheel even have teeth ... pinion type recoil starter, save for the teeth are cast recessed into ...
    (rec.boats)
  • Re: heres a stupid question re: Outboard starter....
    ... alternator by the time you fabricate the brackets & source all of the ... does the flywheel even have teeth ... pinion type recoil starter, save for the teeth are cast recessed into ... But is there an electric starter pinion out there to match it? ...
    (rec.boats)
  • Re: Thanks to all... starter problem solved
    ... I was able to turn the bendix toothed gear by hand and one way it would raise up on a helix to the flywheel so I felt nothing was seized there. ... When I pressed the starter I noticed that the bexdix was spinning clockwise... ... I'll mark or apply red tape to that white wire so I don't make that mistake again. ... People make stupid mistakes all the time. ...
    (rec.boats)