Starter

[professor229]

1995 Chevy W/T with a 4.3 liter motor.

Good morning... When I bought this, I knew the starter was probably going to have to be replaced and have been living on borrowed time now for two years. I am pretty sure there is a "flat spot" on the solenoid, have a brand new battery in it, and the symptoms are the same..... the starter motor will turn, hesitate, and then turn some more usually starting the motor. Yesterday the started motor must have stopped right on the flat spot on the solenoid so I got nothing for a second and that was enough for me to decide to do something now. I don't need to drive this truck until spring so I am in no hurry... Found the best deal on a remanufactured unit at NAPA of all places. Online I can do better but if it doesn't work out, I hate online returns; TIME....

Long story short. I worked for Chevy in the late 1960s.... I'm old... but remember replacing a lot of starters on V8s and technically, the 4.3 is a V8 minus two cylinders..... so I tried to find a YouTube video showing the replacement on a 1995 4.3 and got a lot of Blazer how to videos and S10 how to videos but didn't find one that showed a full size 1995 pickup....

Then I read the procedure and what I read scared me enough to where I need to ask if someone with a 1995 4.3 has replaced their starter and is it as straight forward as it was on older Chevy V8 motors? Basically, two wires, and two long bolts that go up into the block??? The procedure in writing described a lot more extensive work including messing with the transmission mount cross member etc.... So now I have a range of difficulty to consider until I can crawl under and look for myself..... but thought I would ask.... the range is from two bolts/two wires to removing the transmission mount etc...

So.... any help in the process from someone who has been there and done that would be greatly appreciated.... Again... it is a 1995 4.3 full size truck.

And a PS...how do you know if it needs shims? I have never done that but see it sometimes....

Thanks.... I look forward to hearing from someone on this.....