I'm sick of cheap autoparts store starters. What kind are you running?

There is a HAMB'er with a starter/alternator shop east of Dallas. Can't remember the name right now, will edit if I find it.

 

Would someone be so kind as to post a link for one of the dozen or so other threads were we go into detail regarding the use of the correct knurled bolts, brackets, etc.

After a few starters, let's assume for instance that it's not the starter, but an underlying issue. You can't keep trying to band aid a compound fracture. These other post's should help, all the best, TR

 

Now that I found out a friend has all the equipment to rebuild starters I am going to let him do them for me,he rebuilt the foot stomp starter I put back in my 37 chevy p/u and it works great.

 

I beginning to think you can find the fix for a rainy day on this site.

 

That would be Danny Burford, he is Dirty 2 here on the HAMB.

Great guy and very reasonable also.

BB

 

I vote for NAPA !!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a shame but many manufacturers realized a long time ago that if they make parts that don't last as long you will buy more parts.

It's true with many products such as appliances and other house hold things.

Today people shop at places like Junk to go furniture stores because they are looking for cheap prices and not heirloom furniture to pass down to their grand kids.

Another thing to big careful of his the big box home lumber stories because the way they keep their prices down is by buying seconds or products that are missing pieces the day you buy them.

I have seen this first hand with pressure washers that included the wrong instruction booklet telling you how much oil to add to the crankcase and since they have a sensor installed in each crankcase to save the motor from low oil pressure the motor would not start with 12 oz's of oil as per the instructions

When I called the 800 number for the product they informed me to add 2 more oz's oll and the engine started right up. I had already realized there was no spark.

The big box lumber stores do this exact same thing with many other products if they can get a better price on thousands of them that are missing parts.

That's why when you purchase something and open the box the first thing you see a instructions NOT TO TAKE THE PRODUCT BACH WHERE YOU PURCHASED IT!!!!!!!!

Then knew it was missing parts the day they sold it to you.

Crazy world we live in today!!!

Jimbo

 

I had to get a box store one for the old lincoln last year, 4 starters later I got one that worked, when im back on my feet ill have an original rebuilt

 

Napa Auto Parts for Starters.

 

Find an old school starter - generator rebuild shop …. The kind that’s got piles of cores allover with a little trail to walk threw.

Problem over at half the cost

 

HI; You can find good parts on Ebay, $9.00 for starters and $12.00 for alternators and rebuild them yourself, 99 percent of the time thats all they need is the parts from these kits! if the windings are bad, just throw it away and get another one. I used to carry an alternator and starter with me on long trips, now I just carry these kits and rebuild it alongside the road. THANKS Chris

 

I've done this too. Salt the original away just in case. I take great strides to get starters with any donor engine I pick up. Saves tons of headaches later on.

Those original starters, I always have a local shop rebuild them for me. The same guy used to do my stock car starters, they would start even if the water temp was over 220.

Bob

 

I am running a hig torque mini on my small block but I have discovered that the GM high torque works well and they can be had new.

I have a couple of rebuilt starters in my garage now that I am going to oput together to make a good one. Most of them are rebuilt off shore anymore and they have poor quality control. if you can swing it a new starter is the way to go.

 

Consider a crank retard function. MSD has it. , google cranking retard and. You will find many options for distributor cars and many performance ignitions have it as an option. In the old Duraspark days cheap replacement modules had the wire but there was no crank retard function, then you couldn't keep starters in them.

Also try to isolate the starter from heat sources, copper wire resistance goes up with temperature.

Connect a voltmeter from battery positive to the large starter lead between solenoid and the starter windings, it should read less than 1/2 volt cranking with ignition disabled.

More than that check positive cable size and solenoid.

Connect voltmeter from negative batt to block, should be under 1/2 volt while cranking.

For a tough cranking car 2/0 wire has 40pct less resistance than 1 gauge.

You need as many strands as possible, resistance is a function of wire area, the more strands the more area.

The starter, or as my old instructor would say, the cranking motor, is only one link from B+ to B-, what counts is the voltage that is applied between the motor windings and ground.

Hoop

 

Using one of Ross Racing's mini starters on the Olds. Works great and got me the extra exhaust clearance I wanted.

 

I agree with some of the other posters, in that you probably have other problems/deficiencies. You have not described the failures so I'll cover all the bases. First of all you need a good battery, heavy cables with good ends (not the lousy ends held by clamping with 2 bolts), good connections at the battery, starter, and the block ground also the body ground. You need to have good bolts and correct shims. You probably need a heat shield living where it gets hot and probably having less clearance than stock.

I get hard parts like starters at NAPA and have good experience with them. Get a stock type high torque starter.

Make sure the starter sounds right when you crank it. If not, track down the problem whether it is electrical or mechanical.

Let us know what you find or what you do.
~Alden

 

Heat was killing mine. I changed several large body/stock starters, and I'm sure that the heat of my header which was just an inch or two away was killing them. I went to a cheap $100 dollar mini-starter and killed it withing a few months. By the way, I have to pull my engine and transmission to change the starter. It is not fun. The one that I have now is $250+. It seems like it might have been a Mitsubishi brand. Anyway, my experience with the high torque/mini-starters is that you get what you pay for. I've been running my current one for 5 years without problem. The next time I pull the wheel I'll update this thread with the manufacturer and model of the wonder starter that can live within a couple inches of a header.

 

I used to work for NAPA so I use their parts. I have an old Dodge pick up that I bought from a co-worker there. I have had the truck for almost five years and the starter in it is a NAPA starter. I don't know how old it is as it was there when I bought the truck. I also have a NAPA starter on my '64 Fairlane and ancient RV. Plus I use a NAPA starter to start my LSR sidecar.

 

I'm pretty sure you can use the later model small chevy starters on earlier blocks by getting a couple special bolts from your dealer, they're metric shanks with 3/8-16 threads.the one on my 99 Tahoe has over 100K miles on it and still works fine.

 

Do you know any of the Lucky 13's in Arlington. There is a shop next to Bump's shop, off Pioneer Parkway, that rebuilds truck stuff, Alternators, starters, etc. they also rebuild radiators and heater cores.

I have had great luck with both alternators and radiators from them.

It's right next to Jo-Ed's Bombers if you need a great Sub Sandwich.

 

SBC starters have problems with shimming. If you have to shim the starter because it sounds like it is grinding and skipping. It may not need shims it actualy may need shaving the housing down to get proper engaugement. This happens often with rebuilt motors when the line bore has been machined.
An old wrencher told me that when replacing a starter on a Chevy pull the old nose off the old starter add a new bushing and put it on the new starter for the best results!

 

Sixtysick, wanna buy the last starter you will ever buy,,, check out RobbMC. High torque mini starter specialists. They live and work out of Carson city, NV. When you call you only talk to the 2 guys who founded, run and build everything for their product. No outsourcing BS. My bonneville would blow thru starters constantly( it's a Pontiac problem). Spent the dough and am very happy. Did lots if research before checking them out and found nothing but good things about em.
Both of the guys used to work for Mallory, a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer. What better 2 people to build your starter

 

$260 for their base model SBC starter is not bad if they are as good as you say. They also have better reduction and are smaller than many other starters on the market. If my Hitachi ever bites the dust then I'll give one of these a try.

 

Is the engine in question a SBC?

 

I have a hitachi in my coupe with a sbc 350 and it works fine for now. After doing 4 hours on web searching robbmc seemed to have the best rep. I called them and spoke to Gary (I think) and we talked for an hour about my set up. He said if any problems occur to send em back, or if I need to upgrade my starter to High performance/ compression parts they will upgrade it for the same price as a new starter even though I bought it a few years ago.
$260 is worth quality parts and stellar service. Not to mention there's no language barrier when you call them!

 

We have a local garage who has a guy that does nothing but rebuild starters and alternators ..dysards garage in huntingdon pa.....really knows his stuff!

 

I feel your pain. I had my original cranking slowly and decided to get a new one. Bad idea. Remy is junk, it was shimmed right and the motor was timed right but after about 10 starts it broke the cast aluminum nose into 2 pieces. Had good luck out of a NAPA rebuilt so far, I hope it lasts.

 

CONFIRMED

Cade's Electric in Fort Worth is closed.

Mr Cade called it a career and shuttered the place.

DANG

 

Have an AC Delco starter from the dealer on my O/T Olds with a SBC. No problems. I went through three cheap ass Autozone starters; they all cracked at the casting where the bushing supports the pinion gear shaft.

 

Best find lately and impressed with the power is from Champion. Sucker really rips.

 

Could you please post the failure and symptom of the starter?
Thanks!
J