Starter Motor Noise
To correct starter motor noise during starting, use the following procedure
| Checks | Action |
|---|---|
| Check for a high-pitched whine during cranking, before the engine fires. The engine cranks and fires properly. | The distance is too great between the starter pinion and the flywheel. Shimming the starter toward the flywheel is required. |
| Check for a high-pitched whine after the engine fires, as the key is being released. The engine cranks and fires properly. This intermittent complaint is often diagnosed as "starter hang-in" or "solenoid weak." | The distance is too small between the starter pinion and the flywheel. Shimming the starter away from the flywheel is required. |
| Check for a loud "whoop" after the engine fires but while the starter is still held engaged. The sound is like a siren if the engine is revved while the starter is engaged. | The most probable cause is a defective clutch. A new clutch will often correct this problem. |
| Check for a "rumble," a "growl," or, in severe cases, a "knock" as the starter is coasting down to a stop after starting the engine. | The most probable cause is a bent or unbalanced starter armature. A new armature will often correct this problem. |
STARTER MOTOR NOISE SPECIFICATION
If the complaint is noise, correction can be achieved by proper shimming as follows
- Check for a bent or a worn flywheel.
- Start the engine and carefully touch the outside diameter of the rotating flywheel ring gear with chalk or a crayon to show the high point of the tooth runout. Turn the engine OFF and rotate the flywheel so that the marked teeth are in the area of the starter pinion gear.
- Disconnect the negative battery cable to prevent cranking the engine.
- Check the pinion-to-flywheel clearance by using a wire gauge of 0.5 mm (0.02 in.) minimum thickness (or diameter). Center a pinion tooth between two flywheel teeth and the gauge. Do not gauge in the corners, where a misleading larger dimension may be observed. If the clearance is under this minimum, shimming the starter away from the flywheel is required.
- If the clearance approaches 1.5 mm (0.06 in.) or more, shimming the starter toward the flywheel is required. This condition is generally the cause of broken flywheel teeth or the starter housing. Shim the starter toward the flywheel by shimming only the outboard starter mounting pad. A shim of 0.40 mm (0.016 in.) thickness at this location will decrease the clearance by approximately 0.30 mm (0.012 in.). If normal starter shims are not available, plain washers or other suitable material may be used as shims.
Scheme 17
Scheme 18
- Remove the nut which secures the starter ground wire to the lower mounting stud and remove the ground wire.
- Remove the starter-to-engine block mounting bolt and the starter-to-transmission mounting bolt.
- Remove the starter solenoid nuts to disconnect the electrical cable.
- Remove the starter assembly.