1989 Mercruiser 3.0 Starter shim?

[Gator1996]

I have replaced my starter did not include shims, it did not have them originally. I see that a shim is on the parts diagram for my motor though. Do any of you that have a 3.0 have shims on your starter or is this something that varies by case?

I had some grinding issues but thought the new starter was faulty. Should I have tried shims first?

Is there any easy to determine if I should have shims? The only way I have seen this done looks to be pretty impossible on a boat. Thoughts?

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1989 Mercruiser 3.0 Starter shim?

I have replaced my starter did not include shims, it did not have them originally. I see that a shim is on the parts diagram for my motor though. Do any of you that have a 3.0 have shims on your starter or is this something that varies by case?

I had some grinding issues but thought the new starter was faulty. Should I have tried shims first?

Is there any easy to determine if I should have shims? The only way I have seen this done looks to be pretty impossible on a boat. Thoughts?

Ayuh,.... Shims are Rarely used,... Tell Us how ya got to this point, 'n what's goin' on,....

What's it doin' or not doin',..??

Did ya use the original bolts,..?? Real starter bolts,..??

Which starter ya got,..?? straight bolt patterned, or staggered,..??

2 long bolts, or a long, 'n a short bolt,..??

Is the battery fully charged,..?? Load tested,..??

 

[fishrdan]

Re: 1989 Mercruiser 3.0 Starter shim?

I have replaced my starter did not include shims, it did not have them originally.

I had some grinding issues but thought the new starter was faulty. Should I have tried shims first?

I would have installed the new starter with the shims from the old starter, and then see how it sounds. (Well, I actually have done that, same shim pack on my engine and have replaced the starter 2-3 times over the years,,,, same shims required.) You may need more or less shims so the starter doesn't grind or whine,,, and it can be a pain swapping out shims to get it quiet.

Shims are available at auto part stores, they come in a pack with several different thicknesses.

 

[Gator1996]

Re: 1989 Mercruiser 3.0 Starter shim?

The original starter in the boat was not disengaging from the flywheel and making a constant grinding noise. I bought one of the smaller starters off ebay to replace it. I know that is not what is normally recommended but at the time I wasn't totally sure that was the problem. I bolted the new one on and it worked fine for a few starts and then would make a crazy grinding noise when engaged. At first, if I turned the key to off and tried again, it would not grind but start right up. The grinding noise became more frequent and eventually would not stop by turning the key off. It sounded like the motor was already running when I tried to start it.

I pulled the new starter off and looked at the pinion it seemed like the gear was a lot looser than it was originally so I thought the starter was faulty so I sent it back under warranty. Fast forward to today I got the new starter but the seller did not include bolts this time and I had sent the bolts that came with the first replacement back. So I went to Advance Auto to get the bolts that are indicated on the parts diagram. Turns out that you can't use the original size bolts. The mini starters have shorter bolts to accommodate more applications.

I had used the original long bolt off the stock starter and one off the original replacement when I first installed it because the long one that came with it would not start in the threads. The starter never felt loose but I am thinking now that the long bolt was too long and that the starter was only being held flush by the short bolt. That may have been my issue the whole time. I asked about the shim because I saw it on the parts diagram and originally thought that may be the problem. As I said before, the starter that was on the boat when all this started was not shimmed.

I will have the correct bolts tomorrow and hope to give it a try I was just trying to get ahead of any problems that I may have and if it made the noise again, I was going to try the shim. I will bolt it in first and give it a go, and update the post with the results.

The bolts are in a straight line, one long and one short. Battery is fully charged and has no problem cranking the motor. I guess now that you guys have asked the questions, I realize that I may have caused the problem with a bolt that was too long in the first place.
Thanks and I'll let you know what happens ASAP. I appreciate the responses.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: 1989 Mercruiser 3.0 Starter shim?

I bolted the new one on and it worked fine for a few starts and then would make a crazy grinding noise when engaged.

If it sounded quiet when installed, it's not a shim issue. More along the lines of what Bond-o was talking about, bad bolts. Always use new starter bolts...

Do you have the bracket that goes on the front side of the starter, and bolts to the side of the block? If not, you'll want one as it stabilizes the starter, keeps the bolts from loosening and breaking off.

 

[Gator1996]

Re: 1989 Mercruiser 3.0 Starter shim?

Yeah I had that bracket but the mini style starter is not long enough to reach it. It only weighs 9 lbs.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: 1989 Mercruiser 3.0 Starter shim?

I'd still fab up a bracket.....

I changed from the ol' Delco starter to a gear reduction too, and made a bracket from a piece of aluminum angle. Used one of the studs on the back of the starter and the stock bracket location on the block.

 

[Gator1996]

Re: 1989 Mercruiser 3.0 Starter shim?

Update/close to this thread. I got the correct bolts in and bolted the new starter in with no shims. The motor started right up, no noises, in fact it sounded more like a car starting (quiet) much more so than it ever did before. So I think problem is officially solved.

Thanks Bondo and Fishrdan for looking in on my thread. Will look into a support bracket for the new starter also.