more starter problems [im really p/o and confused]

[trkklr77]

77 454 with a th400 tranny.
full size acdelco starter.
hooker comp headers[not supers]
power master mini h/tourque starter
168t flexplates



as many people currently i am have problems with the starter eating flex plates anda all around sucking. the 454 had an ate up flex plate on it when i got it, i started a ran the 454 repeatedly with the acd starter that came with it and it worked absolutely flawlessly with a 2nd hand FLYWHEEL so i thought nothing was wrong.

bought a new flexplate for the t/c bolt pattern and immediatly ground the piss out of it, ok so its the starter. tried shimming it with no luck and it just randomly started working great, the after about 10 starts it fouled up for good.

i borrowed the mini starter and am running into a whole new set of problems. the mini has an adjustable silliniod angle, 3 angles to choose from, the lowest angle is not going to happen at all, the middle is hitting the header, the upper is hitting the BLOCK WTF!!!. the bendex gear meshes much better but seems to not retract far enough !!! like its going to drag on the ring gear! summit lists all of its starters as sbc and bbc so it should work with out hitting the block!! i put a mild thick ness shim in and the silinoid still hits the block and i think it may be pushing the mini to a funny angle becuase the bendex will engage fine but is draging on return

[junkyardjohn]

Just A Thought.. But I Think I'd Go With Something That I Know Will Work. Like Say..... Maybe A Stock G.m. Starter & Flexplate?? John

[truckdude239]

[manimal]

I had the same trouble with my 72.It has a 454-th400,and I kept chewing the crap out of the flexplate!After three flexplates and two starters I finally took a manual trans flywheel and matched it up with the flexplates-THEY DID NOT MATCH! The flexplate was about 3/16" off on half of it!!WTF! The part# of the flexplate I kept getting is pioneer fra-111. I finally had to order 3 in order to get one that matched the flywheel.Went to pick-apart and found what apeared to be a factory starter got it and used it shimmed it with about .060 worth of shims and have never had trouble since. GET A GOOD FLEXPLATE!

[Voodooracer]

If you have the original starter then remove the cone and install it on the the new starter. If not it takes a little time and a file or dremel to shave the cone. Found this out after 6 starters and 9 flywheels. Found the original starter from the block and never had another issue.

[jhow66]

fine but is draging on return
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Minis are suppose to drag like that. They kick out after engine is running according to Powermaster's web site. I have one on my 502 with no shims.

[Vince M]

The powermaster I installed is probably a different model as my solenoid rotates at any angle. Anyways my Powermasters doesn't retract either, it uses the motor once it is started to disengage it. I like the feature as it lets you bump out the starter and then rotate the motor to check the clearance in a number of spots. Hope this helps..!!