why do starter teeth get chewed

[jsomedaysoon]

my truck stopped starting the other day so i took out both battery cables because they just looked messed up as well as the starter. when i got the starter out i noticed that all the teeth on it wer chewed up. i'm getting a new one but i'm worried that when i put it in it'll do the same thing. anyone know what causes starter teeth to get all chewed up?

 

[Xxxyank]

Not speaking for this particular vehicle... But the few times i have run across something like that, normally it is when either somebody has loose bolts attaching the starter to the bellhouseing or if someone has a makeshift adapter plate to attach an odd transmission to the engine & the starter isn't aligned properly. It is generally a very rare thing to deal with in the past 40 years, since most makes went to a two piece flywheel on stock configurations, so the flywheels don't warp as much. Unless the main crankshaft bearings in the engine are so shot or if the engine is seized or about to seize. Rarely it is the actual starter & the throwout bearing misaligning the Bendix gear by it's self causing the problem...

Unless you had this pretty blonde or a little old lady, who for some reason kept engaging the starter repeatedly while the engine is running, normally there is other issues that have caused it.

I would crank the engine over by hand & inspect the teeth of the flywheel manually, if the damage isn't bad on the flywheel & check with a ruler to if notice the flywheel that is warped. If do don't see anything really wrong, i have on occasion taken a file to some rough teeth before & just smoothed them out so it doesn't bother the new starter...

Good Luck!

 

[jsomedaysoon]

Not speaking for this particular vehicle... But the few times i have run across something like that, normally it is when either somebody has loose bolts attaching the starter to the bellhouseing or if someone has a makeshift adapter plate to attach an odd transmission to the engine & the starter isn't aligned properly. It is generally a very rare thing to deal with in the past 40 years, since most makes went to a two piece flywheel on stock configurations, so the flywheels don't warp as much. Unless the main crankshaft bearings in the engine are so shot or if the engine is seized or about to seize. Rarely it is the actual starter & the throwout bearing misaligning the Bendix gear by it's self causing the problem...

Unless you had this pretty blonde or a little old lady, who for some reason kept engaging the starter repeatedly while the engine is running, normally there is other issues that have caused it.

I would crank the engine over by hand & inspect the teeth of the flywheel manually, if the damage isn't bad on the flywheel & check with a ruler to if notice the flywheel that is warped. If do don't see anything really wrong, i have on occasion taken a file to some rough teeth before & just smoothed them out so it doesn't bother the new starter...

Good Luck!

gotcha... well i know the engine isn't seized because it runs fine when it starts. the bolts werent loose when i took the starter off either. i guess i'll just instpect the flywheel real good before i put the starter back on. i did notice before it stopped working that if i would try to start the truck and it wouldnt start ( i'm also having carb issues) that something down there, either the starter or flywheel would continue to spin once i let go of the key. i always waited for what ever it was to stop spinning before i tried again to start it because i knew it wouldnt be good to engage the starter with one of the two things already moving.