I hope this is in the right section if not feel free to move it.

The car has a swapped 350 now but i'm using the 307 starter and other accessories. Well stupid me forgot to re-install the starter shield when i did the swap.

Today when i was trying to set the timing the motor stalled a couple times. When i tried to restart it the starter cranked very slow and almost barely started the motor, I stopped let it sit 5 minutes and tried again. Half-way through cranking it starts making a horrible grinding noise i released the key from start and the starter was still turning and grinding i even removed the key from the ignition and it was still cranking. I had to run and disconnect the battery cable.

What went wrong here? Did the solenoid go or is the whole starter toast? Can i rebuild it and fix this or is it just better to go and get a new starter or JY one? its only 3 years old I'd hate to let it go to waste.

 

Classic stuck solenoid contacts - the contact ring welds itself to the contacts, sometimes aided by heat and prolonged cranking.

The larger question, is do you have the right starter installed - they made a smaller starter, and I believe it was for the 307 and 260 (experts please correct me), so it may be too little for your 350.

- Eric

 

The original starter is too small. He will need a bigger one, and make sure the battery remains fully charged. A low battery can cause the contacts to stick.

 

Thanks for the info guys i guess in the near future i'm buying a 350 starter.

But anyway i have a temp fix for now i went to the junkyard and pulled a starter off a 307 just to get me by (looks newer maybe only a couple years old)

So when i got underneath the car i saw a piece of metal that resembled a half egg shell i look up at the starter and saw this (pretty beat, that starter was only 3 years old )
320280_2030611088230_1332690087_31705596_676279795_n.jpg

Hopefully the new starter will hold up long enough for me to get a 350 starter.

Is it just me or does that new starter look bigger? It came from a 86 caddy fleetwood.

 

Yes, the new starter is bigger.

It's probably the one you want. There was also a bigger one for the high compression big blocks, but I think (correctly?) that there were only three sizes.

- Eric

 

I've never even seen one that small before. No wonder it broke. It was probably from a 260, or something.

The one you pulled from the caddy, looks more like a 307 starter. Large diameter, but the stepped bolt flange.

The 77 and older starters don't have the stepped flange. It's flat and takes 2 long bolts instead of 1 short, and 1 long.

 

Haha just had a feeling, I didnt even notice until i was looking at the pictures.

Hmm well i hope this bigger one can handle the 350 and dont break in half like the previous one.
But a reman. starter for a 70 cutlass 350 is only 50 bucks at the auto store so if this one kicks the bucket then i'll get the new one i guess.
Well thanks again for all the help fellas. I better get back to work on this thing I'm most likely registering it tuesday and i feel as though i still have so much to do.

 

Really? Hmmm i bet when i had the shop put the starter in 3 years ago they had a 260 starter laying around and threw it in and to think they charged me about 240 parts/labor to install it (back then i didnt have the tools i have now otherwise i would have done it)

Ooo I see, well do you think this starters gonna last or is it gonna meet the same fate as the other did?

 

My original gm starter still works fine after 200k miles . Keeps on ticking.

 

Usually the broken starter housing is caused by incorrect timing. The engine kicks back when the starter is engaged. Get the timing right and the bigger starter will last a while. The bigger starter is a morphidite. GM never made this starter. It has a housing made to adapt to 8MT starter fields. The broken one was a 5MT

 

You mean it can make little starters all by itself, without even having an alternator to play with?!?

I'm sorry, but that's just WRONG!

- Eric

 

NO, that would be a morphodite. The morphidite can't reproduce. Thank goodness my spelling stinks.