'94 Regal 3.8L New Starter, Loud Noise... *VIDEO*

[94RegalLimited]

So a few days ago my starter went out at a gas station, didn't engage the flywheel just whined.

 

Got it home, replaced the starter the next day, and it cranked right up but has a crazy loud noise/squeal/grinding noise. I don't know if this has anything to do with the noise, but I had to unbolt the AC compressor to get at the starter. It sounded like a super loud belt noise at first so I thought it was the AC pully was misaligned but after getting under the car and listening through a screw driver I'm convinced its a sound from the flywheel and the starter. 

 

I never heard of shimming a starter before today and I'm wondering if that has to do with it? Like the starter is just so close that the bendix drive shaft is hitting the flywheel? I looked and the clearance seemed a little tight but i'm not sure because this is the first time i've had a problem with replacing a starter and always just bolted it on and was done.

 

Also I have examined the flywheel teeth before replacing the starter and they are all in good condition, and the starter is a new Duralast Gold... 

 

Anyways,,, here is the noise....

 

 

 

 

[digitaloutsider]

Yes, sometimes you do need to shim the starter. It's kind of hard to tell what exactly I'm hearing in the video, but it does sound like it's hitting to me.

[Turbocharged3800]

Dorman/HELP section at the parts store has chevy shims that fit our starter bolt pattern. .010 is all I've ever needed.

[Schurkey]

Shims weren't included with the starter?

[digitaloutsider]

I can't recall the last time I bought a starter and shims came in the box. Maybe a looooooong time ago.

[94RegalLimited]

I honestly don't know if there were shims in the box, the worker at autozone just handed me the starter and said he needed the box to put my old starter in. I thought that was bullshit.

 

Thanks for the ideas, I'm gonna get some shims today

[94RegalLimited]

Well... Finally got a shim big enough to fix the noise. I used a 1/16th inch shim, it was so bad that nothing smaller would work, and the case of the starter was touching the flywheel. I bet there was a shim in that box cus theres no way autozone could say that fits without a shim.

[Imp558]

I can't recall the last time I bought a starter and shims came in the box. Maybe a looooooong time ago.

 

I can barely remember putting shims on a starter, my '64 Special I think was the only one. I've never needed a shim on a FWD car.