starter noise

[rowingone]

I have a 64 with a 350/4spd and the starter is making a high pitched noise when I start it . . . somebody on here was talking about shimming a starter - is that what I need and how do I go about it? Also when I have the car running in neutral I get a noticeable gear whine - is that the throwout bearing and should I worry about it?

 

[ctjackster]

I have a 64 with a 350/4spd and the starter is making a high pitched noise when I start it . . . somebody on here was talking about shimming a starter - is that what I need and how do I go about it? Also when I have the car running in neutral I get a noticeable gear whine - is that the throwout bearing and should I worry about it?

don't know about here, but I posted on another vette-forum about my newly-installed starter failing to engage fully and making that horrible sound, as if I tried to start it when it was already running. Was advised to shim it up by JohnZ, and, although I did not go to the trouble of taking measurements, I did try the various shims (you can get a starter shim blister pack at you local atuo chain store) unitl I seemed to have eliminated the problem. Well, maybe not eliminated, but it now is trully a rare occurrence.

 

[67HEAVEN]

another vette-forum

:confused There's another forum?

 

[ctjackster]

:confused There's another forum?

well, um, er, . . . .

 

[JohnZ]

Also when I have the car running in neutral I get a noticeable gear whine - is that the throwout bearing and should I worry about it?

Assuming you mean it's noisy running in neutral with the clutch pedal up against its stop, does the noise change or go away when you press the pedal down? Do you feel any roughness or vibration in the pedal when you first push it down? If you have the required 1" to 1-1/2" of pedal free play between the full "up" position and the point where you feel resistance when you push the pedal down (throwout bearing contacting the clutch fingers) and you hear a constant whining noise with the clutch up against the stop, it's probably a worn front main drive bearing where the input shaft enters the main case.

 

[rowingone]

John - no roughness or vibration in the pedal . . and yes the noise goes away when I depress the pedal - so it sounds like the bearing you described - is that something that would need immediate attention? The tranny would have to come out I assume?

 

[JohnZ]

Yup, tranny has to come out to replace the front bearing - might as well go all through it while it's out and do a thorough rebuild anyway, not just the front bearing. If you have any question about the clutch, good time to replace that too - not a fun job to have to do twice.

 

[magicv8]

IMO put a GM roller pilot bearing in too. I had brass bushings fail and make the rebuilt trans sound noisy. I pulled the trans and replaced only the pilot and TO bearings to make the noise go away. The brass pilot bearing hole was no longer round. 27,000 miles later - no noise, no problems.

 

[soppeng]

I've had the same problem with my 327(300hp). Check out this article for some help. Shimming a stock starter is basically the same as the aftermarket unit.
http://www.carcraft.com/howto/2988/index3.html

 

[rowingone]

Thanks - it was no big deal - two shims from the auto parts store and sounds good as new.