Starter issues... Is it really this difficult?

Just so yall know, i do a ton of reading and research, and I'm generally frustrated to my limit when i ask yall for advice, it's nice to be able to ask for advice and not have someone tell me to search when im already dam frustrated.
Ok. Anyways. Heres the deal. I got my rig a year and half ago. The starter was fine at first, and started making some god awful noise.. After trying to shim, over and over i got a smaller pretty good starter from summit. It has work flawlessly for some time, started like a new car. Until recently!! Started making a bad ass grinding noise, somtimes, like it's not falling in line correctly with flywheel. When I look there are no teeth really messed up, although I did notice that the starter bendix(? The lil gear that comes out to crank and then goes back in) a lot of times is stuck out after I turn my rig off. I have read that voltage, bad ground, or being out of the line could be the culprit. Im at my wits end i'm to figure this out. Figured some of you guys had a lot more experience the starters. This **** cannot be this hard. And advice would be awesome. Most of the time when you push the button to crank it, it will make that awful grinding noise, so I will stop for a split second and push the button again and it always works good. WTF? That's why I believe it has something to do with the mesh of gears. But Obviously I suck. I will get a picture shortly if it helps. This sucks. In case anyone is wondering is not the coolest sound in the world. It is definitely a head turning sound tho. Haha thanks fellas

Did you shim the new starter? If so, did you use the little round stock "feeler" guage to do so?

Had same issue once and was a bent flexplate.

I'm gonna guess it's an old school sbc? I replaced multible starters and flywheels shimmed reshimmed, cussed , bitched ,griped. I bet I replaced 7 or 8 starters and 2 or 3 flywheels. I finally went to a local starter shop where the guys also drag race. The sold me a starter for 4.3 engine, basically a GM mini starter bolted it up with no shims and it's been on there for years ! I never could figure out why the other starters I had kept giving me trouble . You may want to try one of those. Hope you get it lined out. And yes the date on the starter is 11/02.

All the ones I tried from oreily's sucked, I had the same issues your having. I went and had a old factory starter rebuilt at a local shop and haven't had a problem since. Also had a ton of problems with my sons truck that has a tbi motor in it (90's chevy) the distributor ended up being bad in it, it would move the timing all around by itself when you where cranking it.

Sorry was busy at work. Yes it's an old 400 small block. I did Chana with a little paperclip looking thing, to what I believe is correct. Didn't need any shims, that's what I got out of it anyway with the lil guage. Weird how it worked good for a while then all of a sudden started. The starter I have is actually a mini starter. The one before was so bug the back pretty much touched the headers. I remember reading about heat being an issue, so my Dum ass loads up and hauls ass to summit and spends 200 on new mini hi torque starter.. Oh and about the distributor, well once again, prob a other waste of money. I bought MSD dist and box, the distributor was another week long headache! :****: this is the kind of results i get from not having any friends that wheel or turn a wrench and me doing the research.. Anyways shouldn't that thing with the gear (bendix?) go the back in the starter pretty much instantly? Thanks for the advice fellas

might want to try a starter brace like the older chevy's had keeps it from twisting

The bendix should go back in as soon as the motor starts. I think there's a spring that works the bendix in and out "could be wrong".maybe it's weak or broken. Wish I had the answer for your fix. Good luck getting it figured out.

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I had the same problem with a mini starter. I ended up with a gear reduction starter off a vortec motor. Worked great ever since. Oh and if the Bendix is staying engaged the starter is to close, once it starts the flywheel should kick the Bendix out

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Thanks brother. It's amazing how something so simple can be a pain in tha ass. And i remember reading something about a brace, but did not think mine had that, because I did not see anywhere for the starter too attach. I will check into that. What almost makes sense because soon as it starts to make that noise if I stop pushing the button and then start again real quick it will crank fine everytime. Keep in mind thats after everyone within a one mile radius turns and stares at me like my rig is about to fall apart. Haha. Has to be the one of the worst sounds a car can make.

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chopperdonk said:

I had the same problem with a mini starter. I ended up with a gear reduction starter off a vortec motor. Worked great ever since. Oh and if the Bendix is staying engaged the starter is to close, once it starts the flywheel should kick the Bendix out

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Awesome. Thanks for tha advice. Bout to be at home to look at it.

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Anytime I just noticed your from ga. What part, if you need any help let me know.

sappmann said:

might want to try a starter brace like the older chevy's had keeps it from twisting

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Almost no one is smart enough to look up a factory sbc starter brace anymore. The GM part # is 3965589

Time for a NEW starter, don't think on it too hard, just put a new one on it,

Go buy a Remy starter, we have the least problems out of them vs any other brands. Probably put in 4-5 a week at the shop.

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chopperdonk said:

Anytime I just noticed your from ga. What part, if you need any help let me know.

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hell yeah thannks.. off I20 bout 30 min west of :afro: :afro: :afro: :afro: :afro: :afro: FLAGS over Ga, and 45 min east of Alabama town called Villa Rica

Dwalk said:

Time for a NEW starter, don't think on it too hard, just put a new one on it,

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NO!!!!! please say it aint so .,, this one MAY have 20 hours total run time,. i got it a few months back and only take it wheeling.. well maybe an occasional lap down the street to make sure the neighbors still hate me,,

always heard small blocks had some castings that were off a little weather its true or not i have seen a lot of them with starter problems sounds like its too deep in the flywheel probably gonna have to shim it you can get long shims with both bolt holes or single round ones to put under one side make sure it has starter bolts instead of regular bolts there is a little difference starter wont wiggle side to side as much. brace is a good idea bolts to engine block above oil pan by a freeze plug may not work on a mini starter. Good luck they can be a pain.

Snapped a few pics of the starter. I think its in to deep also. I tried to get side pics and pics looking up from tha ground.