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del.icio.usThe starter motor on the Caprice is called a "full-size" starter. I have changed the starter motor on the Caprice four times, each for a different and more exciting reason.
Table of Contents
Installation
Installing the starter motor is not easy. The dust cover for the transmission has to be removed, and then the starter has to be wrestled in between the transmission cooling lines, the frame, and the exhaust (although installing headers has helped). To help hold the starter while bolting it to the block, I tie a rope to it, and get someone to pull the starter up, or if no one is around, I pull it up most of the way and then tie it off.
The starter motor is very large. The 350 and the 305 both have the "inline" bolt pattern on the block. The repair manual specifies that there should be a bracket on the back of the starter (front of the car) to help bear the weight and torque of the starter. My car did not have a bracket when I bought it.
Starter Bracket
I decided that I wanted to get the bracket (PN 354353), so I ordered one from Scoggin-Dickey in the US. The bracket was about $7 or so, but the shipping was over $40. The worst part was that when it arrived, it didn't even fit! I was told by some ChevyTalk members that it was because my starter was assembled incorrectly. There are two bolts that hold the starter together. One is slightly longer to mount to the bracket. On my starter, two bolts are where the other one should be.
The starter motor was not assembled correctly. The two bolts should be the other way around.
The bracket, PN 354353, would not fit, or at least I couldn't figure it out.
ARP Starter Bolts
Another thing I wanted was a good quality set of ARP starter mounting bolts. I bought them, they came, and they didn't fit right. The shank is a way smaller diameter than the stock bolts, which would probably allow the starter to shift if I were to install them.
The ARP starter bolts, PN 430-3505, do not fit my full-size starter.
Shimming the Starter
Shimming the starter motor is at least fairly easy. The method seen in the drawing below has always worked for me. The starter engages quietly and turns the engine freely.
This is how I set the gap on the starter motor. I take the smooth part of a 1/8" drill bit and pass it through the gap between the flywheel teeth and the starter motor shaft. The drill bit should pass through smoothly but not freely.
Starter Just Dies
There was one time I replaced the starter unnecessarily. The car would lose all electrical power when turning the key to the Start position. I thought it was the starter shorting out, but it turned out to be that the battery cables were fried from months of trying to get the 350 to run right. Of course, I made that discovery after spending $100 on a new starter.
Case Failure
The replacement starter only lasted about 3 months before the case blew up. The noise the starter made was very loud when it happened. I don't know exactly what caused the failure, but I think it was a combination of the starter case being made of low grade aluminum and the mounting bolts being slightly overtightened. At least it was shimmed correctly!
The starter motor failed quite nicely.
I have wasted a ton of money and time on the starter motors, but at least I can install them with one hand now!
