| Re: New starter |
Subject: Re: New starter by rklessdriver on 2011/3/4 14:02:18 I was going to wait until Saturday to swap it but I figured what the heck, I may as well get to it after work yesterday. The stock starter came out really easy. The EM headers wern't in the way at all. Disconnect the start and battery wires, drop out the 2 bolts, rotate the starter body a little and it comes right out the side. The Power Master starter... I had a number of problems. Where do I start? OK the drive assy is located in a different location than the stock starter. I had to temporarly remove the lower bell housing dust cover as the hole is drilled in the wrong place. When I get some time I'll cut it out to fit. That "Infini Clock Ring" assy is neat but there was no need to position the starter any other way but the same way the stock was oriented. I had to bend the battery cable end to fit correctly on the starter (since the connection studs are on the side) and it's puts the battery cable closer to the header than I'd like. I may end up eventually making a new battery cable so I can route it differently.... The starter motor is bigger, so it takes quite a bit of jiggeling to get it past the header. First time I get in there I notice that the outside bolt isn't going to be able to slide in there and start the threads because it's too long and hits the top of the header collector. I cut about 1" of threads off it. Now I can rotate the starter sideways to insert the bolt and rotate it back straight into position to start the threads. The inside bolt is easy to get in and out with a 6" extension. Of course when I was starting the threads it fell out and smacked me right between the eyes on the bridge of the nose... After a few curse words, I'm sure all the neighbours heard, I got the starter bolted up. Next I notice there is no way to really see clearly how much free clearance I have between the starter drive pinion gear and the ring gear.... If I push my head up against the oil pan kick out and peer inbetween the pan and bell housing I can barley make it out and it's no where near the 1/8" of an inch recommended. I start to wonder how I'm going to check the starter drive to ring gear engagement?? I'm certainly not going to get any feeler gauges up in there. I figure these things are billet alum and made in the USA by skilled workers, it's probally gonna be OK (factory starter was fine with no shim). I'll try it anyway..... hook the battery up and turn the key.... Fuckin battery is down to 11.3V and all I get is click. Drag out the booster pack, hook it up and notice the voltage is now 11.5V.... I'm getting slightly disapointed at this point. I grab the battery charger and hook it up. Wait a few mins and turn it over. SOB sounds like a Hampton 1471 turning over.... Yep drive engagement is way too tight in the ring gear. Glad the motor didn't fire. Start to take it back out.... Notice a bunch of shiney metal shavings laying on the floor. Magnesium from the bell housing of course... Since the starter drive is in a different place it's hitting the bellhousing when the starter drive is out. I get it out and take a look.... Well it's clearanced now. I also noticed when removing it that the starter drive pinion gear was still out and hung up in the ring gear.... Again glad the motor didn't fire. Once I get the starter off and on the ground I remove the Infini Clock Ring assy on the starter and install the .062 shim to get the free clearance I need and when reinstalling the starter I put both of the shims they sent on the starter pad to get some much needed clearance in the drive to ring gear engagement. Reinstall the starter. Of course during reinstallation the inside bolt falls out and smacks me right between the f'n eyes on the bridge of the nose. I manage to get it bolted up tight and I push my head up against the oil pan kick out and peer inbetween the pan and bell housing I can barley make out I've got what appears to be 1/8+" of free play between the starter drive pinion and the ring gear. OF course still no way to pry the drive out and check the engagement but, heck I've got both shims on there... I may have to take it off and take on out right?? I hook up the wires and hook up the battery. Turn the key and it spinns over but still sounds like a roots blower.... then the engine fires.... starter is stuck in the ring gear for a milisecond but disengages. At this point it's 9:30PM, I don't have any more starter shims, so I called it a night. I took some pics and I need to put them on my photo bucket. I'll take a few more tonight after I stop by AutoZone and pick up a pack of starter shims and see if I can get the starter drive engagement sorted. At this point I would not recommend anyone try to use the Power Master 9600 mini starter on a ZF6 C4 Corvette. Will |
