Starter mishap

[Dee1986]

Did some work tuning my carb after installing a new exhaust. Quite a bit of start and stop of the motor. Got it dialed in and took her out for a test run. Got back to the house and a little more tuning. Turned the key and heard the most violent sound from motor and wouldn't start. Sounded like the crank was trying to rip it's way through the block. Crawled under to find my starter hanging on by one bolt only caught by a couple threads. Other bolt laying on the floor. Tightened them back up and fired up no prob. Guess I'll have to put checking the starter bolts on my regular maintenance schedule. Anyone else ever had this problem, it's a new one to me.

[1986F150Six]

Never had that problem!

[myrl883]

I've had a couple of vehicles over the years that would shake starter bolts out. I cleaned the bolts and the threads in the bell housing with brake clean and reinstalled with blue locktite and it seemed to cure the problem.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Being a 460, I've had to Helicoil the lower hole in my Zf's bellhousing. (The top bolt comes from the back into the starter itself)

It stays tight now that I can really crank on it.

[Dee1986]

Definitely gonna keep any eye on it. Not sure yet if the PO just didn't torque them down enough cause it's not original. If they start to loosen again it's time for some hardware upgrade and some locktite.

[ArdWrknTrk]

When I went through my "starter woes" eight years ago, I changed the bolt out for a serrated flanged one.
(This is when I had swapped in the Zf, and was going through a starter a month)

Bill and Gary will back me up on this.  

Getting the bell tapped for a Helicoil with the engine in the truck was a challenge, but the new, stronger threads and a PMGR starter saved me from losing my mind.

[Gary Lewis]

I can neither confirm nor deny that Jim has not lost his mind.  

Seriously though, I do remember the battle.  And the cause was hard to fathom 'cause it seemed the starters and the flywheel(s) were perfectly fine - for a while.

[Gsmblue]

The problem with reading threads like this is, not I want to go check my starter bolts!

[ArdWrknTrk]

I know right where it is.
Right wherever I left it...  but I forget

Yes, the starters would last for weeks, then I'd blow the snout right off them!  

The bottom bolt has stainless to thread into now

[Gary Lewis]

If it is 3/8", maybe I should do that before installing the starter.  I have plenty of inserts after getting them for the alternator.

[ArdWrknTrk]

5/16-18 IIRC

But I have SAE thread inserts 8-32 -> 1/2-13, so it's a no brainer for me.

[85lebaront2]

Jim, 3/8-16 with a 1/2" AF washer head. Darth now has the later style with a 5/16-18 stud on the lower one for the ground cable.

[kramttocs]

Haven't had the issue (although will add it to my maint schedule also now) but for the top one why not put a longer bolt in with a nut and some blue loctite?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Why not a self locking nut???


For me, because it's a big challenge to hold the bolt from the back while I try to get another wrench on the ridiculously long bolt that I just had to thread a minimum of 1 1/2" through the starter in order to get it tight in the first place.

Changing out the lower bolt worked fine, after I fixed the ruined threads in my bellhousing.

I'm tired of making more work for myself because I fear the slimmest chance that something might go wrong.

Even though there are (or were) millions upon millions of trucks that had no problem.

I'm going to leave that to Gary, because I can't even care about it until it's a bridge I have to cross.

[Dee1986]

So I haven't run my truck much since I had this problem with a loose starter. Took her out today for a quick drive and I think that that starter must have been working its way loose for awhile. Now that its tight it's not  getting along with the ring gear on my flywheel. Starts but teeth are looking a bit chewed up and it's got a slight grind on occasion. Guessing I'll have to get the trans dropped and new ring gear/ starter and might as well replace the rear main seal while it's exposed. Everything was running so smooth till this

[Gary Lewis]

It is a bummer when something like this happens.  But the ring gear can be replaced on a flywheel.  Not on the flexplate for an auto, but on a flywheel for a manual tranny.  They just heat the ring gear up, press the old one off and new one on.