going on my 7th starter???/

[SHOspeed93]

Does anybody have an idea why my car eats up starters every month?????

 

[jimtash]

I think the location of the oil filter has a lot to do with it. If you've changed your oil before then you know what I am talking about. Everytime the filter is taken off the oil flows right dowm over the starter which is not good. That has to be the worst place to place a starter. One option is to relocate the oil filter with a kit. Another is to try an shield the starter but that might lead to heat related failures.

 

[sdpatt]

How are the starters failing? Is it the pinion? The brushes? The electrical connectors? How do you turn the key when you are starting the car? Do you have long cranking times? You have to determine the root cause of the failures before you can correct the problem. I don't think the oil kills the starters - I have changed the oil 82 times on my car and I am still on my original starter.

 

[SHOspeed93]

Well the starter solinoid still clicks but the motor doesnt turn, before it stops working the motor cranks very slowly. As for how I turn the key, what do you mean by this ? I turn it till it starts. Also I havent changed the oil since I installed this starter.
Tony Dvorzsak

 

[Diameg]

sdpatt:
- I have changed the oil 82 times on my car .

But who's counting, eh Scott?

j/k of course. Since I saw the pictures of the inside of your engine, I change my oil every 2500 miles.
Oh, I'm sure you can imagine the oil I use too!

 

[sdpatt]

And I am gettng ready to opener her up again to check a tappet tick and add some O-rings to the valve cover bolts to stop some leakage from several of them. I will show some images of an engine at 256K.

Scott

 

[clintonk]

O-rings on the valve cover bolts? Please let us know how that works out, Scott, as well as the o-ring sizes. I sealed my leaking bolts with a little RTV, but o-rings would be simpler and cleaner next time it comes apart.

And my starter is also original at 182K.

Clinton Knight
'90 White 182K
'95 Green 49K

 

[olympic]

The starter may be out of alignment. My starter did the same thing when I installed it without the clutch inspection cover(or dust cover, whaterver it's called). It acted like the engine was siezed. It would either not crank at all or very, very slowly. Check to see if your inspection cover is still there.

 

[SHOspeed93]

What dust cover are you refering too, Ive never seen on of these down there.
Tony

 

[olympic]

I may have the wrong name for it. It's the thin sheet of metal that bolts between the engine and tranny. It's held on by the 2 lower bellhousing bolts that go through the oil pan and the 2 starter bolts. It's just there to keep debris out of the clutch and flywheel area. But it does act like a spacer between the starter and tranny so it will cause an alignment problem if it's not there. Just look under the car to the drivers side of the oilpan where the engine and tranny meet. If you can see the flywheel, the cover is not there.