1997 Mercruiser 4.3L replacement starter shims

[flynnhart1]

I own a 1997 Sea Ray with the 4.3L Alpha 1 Gen+ setup. I just purchased a new starter for it. It is a marine starter sold by Rare Electrical. It has an 11 tooth pinion and is stated to be a direct replacement for the 806964A4 9 tooth starter that is in my boat. The new starter came with two shims. There were no shims on the old starter. Does anyone know if I I am going to need to add the shims to the new replacement starter?

 

[achris]

I've never installed shims for a replacement starter, but HERE is an excellent video on how it's done...