Starter question.

[ericcarr]

I am in the process of putting back together and getting this motor ready to put back into my 1990 Sea ray Sundancer with the 454. I have a question regarding the starter. I put the starter on and it turns over fine but the little gear on the starter does not want to disengage from the fly wheel, I have tried shimming the starter with different size shims and nothing seems to help it out. When I bench test a starter the armature gear kicks in and out fine on its own but when I put it on the motor and turn it over the gear stays engaged with the fly wheel. Is this normal

 

[SternDriveEd]

You can get shims from a starter rebuild shop, or a Chevy dealer.
Just a 1/16 inch shim may be needed between the starter and the block, for instance. It’s about one inch by four inches. It has bolt holes that correspond to the starter bolt pattern.

 

[ericcarr]

Yeah I tried one of them, I even tried putting washers between it with it to move it farther away, when I do that the starter barely seems to engage the fly wheel but that gear and the starter won’t go back into the starter

 

[SternDriveEd]

Bad starter? That pinion gear needs to retract away from the flywheel once the key is released.

 

[ericcarr]

Ok, let me straighten something out here. I’m doing this test with my motor out of the boat before I put it in the boat, engine is Out of the boat, on my engine cradle. I’m just not sure if once the motor starts that that will make the starter gear retract or not. Once again, the motor is out of the boat and on my engine cradle not in the boat. I am turning it over by jumping a starter to a battery

 

[Scott Danforth]

the spring in the bendix should retract the pinion.

if not, service the starter

 

[ericcarr]

Seems like I remember reading somewhere that until the engine starts, that gear on the starter will stay engaged with the fly wheel. Is this true?

 

[Scott06]

Seems like I remember reading somewhere that until the engine starts, that gear on the starter will stay engaged with the fly wheel. Is this true?

Should stay engaged until 12 v is removed from starter solenoid, then it should retract

 

[ericcarr]

Hmmm, OK looks like I will try to disconnect the battery next time and see if that works

 

[SternDriveEd]

Disconnecting the battery to make the starter pinion gear unmesh from the flywheel? I’m not seeing how that can affect the tight gears. I’m still believing that the problem can be resolved with the correct starter shim.

 

[ericcarr]

Disconnecting the battery to make the starter pinion gear unmesh from the flywheel? I’m not seeing how that can affect the tight gears. I’m still believing that the problem can be resolved with the correct starter shim.

It seems I remember reading somewhere that when the engine actually starts it somehow disengages the starter from the flywheel…I guess it spins faster so that way it disengages?

 

[Scott06]

Hmmm, OK looks like I will try to disconnect the battery next time and see if that works

Not the big battery connection the smaller wire that supplies 12 v from slave solenoid when key is in start mode . …when that is removed the gear should pull back in if not there is a starter or fitment issue

 

[salvageyard saviour]

It seems I remember reading somewhere that when the engine actually starts it somehow disengages the starter from the flywheel…I guess it spins faster so that way it disengages?

Don't count on it. I thought my flywheel gears were a bit rusty and it would disengage just as you're thinking.
WRONG! melted a perfectly good starter!

The pinion gear MUST disengage the flywheel when the key leaves the start position. (Or jumper removed from assist solenoid as in a cradle)

My issue was in the wiring. I was getting the 6 volts after the resistor (from coil once started ) back to the assist solenoid. It was just enough to keep the pinion engaged but not enough to spin the starter.

Make sure the 12 volt cranking wire from the coil only goes to the "I" terminal on the starter. Not to the assist solenoid or anywhere else.
Since you're jumping the assist solenoid to a battery, there should be nothing connected to the small terminal on the assist solenoid.