STARTER WOES

[jaytee]

It's alive!

I used a tap to clean the threads, installed the support bracket first, then the starter and used the support bracket to hold it in place so there was no odd tension on the starter, and the bolts threaded right in! I torqued them down, and she started right up! Woo-Hoo! This thing runs like a top! The only problem is that I promised my wife I would sell it after I took care of the starter, because I spend so much time tinkering on it......

 

[319]

That's good news indeed, at least the part about getting the starter fixed.

 

[ChalkOutline]

Good job getting it fixed!!!!
Go have fun in it BEFORE you put it up for sale and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

IF you must put it up for sale, ask for more than it is worth, not way too much though.
You want a few tire kickers to look so the wife thinks you are trying.

good luck!

 

[jaytee]

yeah that's a good idea, pricing it too high. I might have to try that.

Honestly, I would probably only want like a firm 1300 for it, that would pay for what I have into it, and I think that is a fair price for a running and driving CUCV that doesn't have basketball sized holes in the floorboards, and everything works!

but first I will definitely run it for a bit, it was meant to be driven, and I just really like the thing, you know?

 

[Somemedic]

Cattlett Is a CUCV guru and Im almost sure he will agree...

AUTOZONE, ADVANCE, ALMOST EVERY PARTS HOUSE YOU GO TO DO DO DO NOT stock the correct starter bolt for our starters. That bolt is for a CHEVY GASSER MOTOR ONLY and the threads dont work, ever, period. HAVE TO/STILL CAN get the bolt you need from any chevy dealer and, BTW, DONT GET 2. Get 4 or 6 and throw them in the glove box. CHEAP INSURANCE there... (dont they always brake on a saturday afternoon before ur chevy dealer parts store closes?). While the starter motor usually says not to shim Ive always found it better th put the slimest shim in. Didnt do it once and it started chewing the teeth on the FW. If it ever is a problem you can always pull the shim later and probably start the truck a few more times before the starter gear is completely tore up.

The assbag engineer who put the support bracket on the end tip of that starter motor really wasnt kidding. It doesnt have to be there but You will be getting your easy out set and using them every 6mo or so if it aint there(ask how I know). If you dont have a support bracket find someone who has one and make a copy using angle stock or maybe chevy still stock them.

Got to where i could change mine in under 20min...

 

[319]

jayee, $1300 is pretty cheap, unless you're selling to me of course, but I can't justify another at this time!

 

[jaytee]

yeah I am not looking to make a profit, that's about what I have into it not counting registration and such, and anyone who buys it from here will know my history with it, namely the potential for starter bolt problems at some point later, but it's great now, no helicoils or anything in it, I just took it for a spin today, the 12V conversion is great, the new water pump is doing its job nicely. I took the resistors out from the wipers and heater blower that the PO left in when he did his ghetto 12V conversion. The heater actually blows hard now! I finally got around to replacing the cracked and dried rubber line for the tranny modulator valve this morning and WHOA does that make a huge difference, it shifts so smooth now. It feels like a different truck. It gets 20 mpg all day long in my commute to work, and I even put a radio and a couple of speakers into it. My problem is my wife hates it and won't ride in it and she resents it because I am always tinkering on it when I get some time off. I wanted to do a service on the hubs today after I did a few other little things and she put her foot down. I haven't opened them up since I bought it in march/april and I will sleep better after I see them and throw some fresh grease in there.

Anyway if anyone in the area wants to come look at it, I am in Severn, MD 21144, if someone farther away is interested PM me and we can talk pics or something. $1300 firm is my price, it is worth all of that and more, I will even throw in a few spare parts.

 

[CDN-CUCV]

I had my second starter bolt 'issue' this morning. On bolt snapped off half inch in the block as per usual. This is after installing two new GM starter bolts onlt a couple of months ago.
My solution is to fabricate a bracket to mate the starter to the existing mounting hole on the block and utilizing the oil pan bolts as well changing out those bolts for grade 8 as well as getting longer ones, say a 1/4 inch or so to allow for the thickness of the bracket material. I purchased a GM 6.2 bracket but it needs to be modified since it was design for the 12 volt starter. I will put up pics and and info when I successfully finish this job. I'm going to try 110mm. 10x 1.5 Grade 8 bolts inplace of the GM start bolts this time to see how they work out as well.

I tell ya though, those damn broken bolts are a piss-off when you're trying to get to work in the morning.

 

[IRWFO]

I'm going to try 110mm. 10x 1.5 Grade 8 bolts inplace of the GM start bolts this time to see how they work out as well.

I tell ya though, those damn broken bolts are a piss-off when you're trying to get to work in the morning.

One thing I know is that the starter bolts are soft for a reason. If your starter is being torqued enough to break the bolt think about what will go if the bolt holds. The block. I have had my share of starter issues and those bolts are not breaking because of a bad design. Something is binding in your truck.

 

[CDN-CUCV]

One thing I know is that the starter bolts are soft for a reason. If your starter is being torqued enough to break the bolt think about what will go if the bolt holds. The block. I have had my share of starter issues and those bolts are not breaking because of a bad design. Something is binding in your truck.

You raised a good point. I'll have to have a closer look. Thanks.

 

[FMJ]

It gets 20 mpg all day long in my commute to work, and I even put a radio and a couple of speakers into it. My problem is my wife hates it and won't ride in it and she resents it because I am always tinkering on it when I get some time off. I wanted to do a service on the hubs today after I did a few other little things and she put her foot down. I haven't opened them up since I bought it in march/april and I will sleep better after I see them and throw some fresh grease in there.

Perhaps it's time to look for a new Wife.....

 

[jaytee]

well my passenger side starter bolt is loose again, it pulled itself out. back to the drawing board.

suggestions? One of my buddies here told me to put a stud in it and be done with it. I think that I will try a heli-coil, but if I cannot get it in there far enough I will have to use a shorter bolt. Anyone have issues with this or perhaps a better suggestion? My daily driver is parked again, dammit.

 

[dependable]

As I posted earlyer in this thread, the Heli Coil does work for the 6.2 starter. Have done this repair myself and it is still holding up with no issues 3 or 4 years later. I did change to a gear reduction starter, which weighs a lot less. Since you first posted, I'm sure you have learned a lot and can do this repair. Go slow. Drill strait and don't go too deep.. Check depth of original hole and mark drill so as not to go too deep. Wear goggles you can see though, use plenty of light. Make sure you get the correct metric heli coil kit. Use a brand new drill bit of the size speced by heli coil kit. Buy a new kit that comes with correct tap and instructions. Move front drive shaft out of way and tie up. a good coardless drill will do the trick and is easyer. If you still can't get a strait shot with drill, use a more compact drill . I have seen this thread and you ongoing problem with this. Good luck.

 

[jaytee]

As I posted earlyer in this thread, the Heli Coil does work for the 6.2 starter. Have done this repair myself and it is still holding up with no issues 3 or 4 years later. I did change to a gear reduction starter, which weighs a lot less. Since you first posted, I'm sure you have learned a lot and can do this repair. Go slow. Drill strait and don't go too deep.. Check depth of original hole and mark drill so as not to go too deep. Wear goggles you can see though, use plenty of light. Make sure you get the correct metric heli coil kit. Use a brand new drill bit of the size speced by heli coil kit. Buy a new kit that comes with correct tap and instructions. Move front drive shaft out of way and tie up. a good coardless drill will do the trick and is easyer. If you still can't get a strait shot with drill, use a more compact drill . I have seen this thread and you ongoing problem with this. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice, It doesn't sound so bad, but I am still apprehensive about drilling on my block, were you able to re-use the stock starter bolts? The reason I ask is that to do this, I would have to put the heli-coil WAAAAY up in there, and it seems like it was designed to go just below the surface, you know? Thanks again!

 

[dependable]

Yes , I used a stock starter bolt. If you get the correct kit, the Heli coil insert thread should match the stock size bolt. But do not re use bolts. Buy new bolts. and use new bolts whenever you remove the starter. (since this has been a problem on this truck) It is possible to drill too far , You should be drilling out existing hole. The tap supplyed with the kit is a bottoming tap, so it should thread close to the top of the hole. Once the Heli coil is in, it is very hard to get out. so go slow and follow the instructions.

 

[corelokt]

Why not studs coming out of the block when the threads are iffy. Use a retaining compound or epxy on them, They'd still be removeable with propane heat to soften the adhesive.

 

[jj]

Studs in the block won't work because the starter must move forward, parallel to the crankshaft centerline to come out of the transmission bellhousing. Studs would prevent that. It is possible that removing the torque convertor cover would allow the starter to drop straight down, but i would think the front driveshaft would be the next thing to foul, followed by the right side exhaust. Still, if the holes in the block are that far gone, resorting to studs, and the gymnastics required to get the starter over them, might be more palatable than replacing the block. A gear reduction starter would be a must have, i think, simply because it is lighter and easier to wrestle with while lying on your back.

 

[devilman96]

Info in general...

The nose cones on these go bad and will not hold the knurl on the bots anymore after being reamed out, especially after coming loose so many times and no amount of helicoiling will fix that problem. No matter what the threads "look like" if the bolts bite on the block their fine and the nose cone is the issue. This another reason buying re-maned starters is a BAD idea on a 6.2... Just casue it spins in a cicrcle doesnt mean its worth installing.

Gear reducted starter, blue lock tite for good measure, new bolts... End of the problems... As a matter of fact that will usually fix 98% of EVERYONES starter issue / staring / relay / solenoid / nose cone / grinding / whatever issues.

Sometimes you have to actually FIX the problem, it cost a few bucks, but usually its worth spending the money not to have to do it 2, 3, 4, 5 times.

 

[jaytee]

Info in general...

The nose cones on these go bad and will not hold the knurl on the bots anymore after being reamed out, especially after coming loose so many times and no amount of helicoiling will fix that problem. No matter what the threads "look like" if the bolts bite on the block their fine and the nose cone is the issue. This another reason buying re-maned starters is a BAD idea on a 6.2... Just casue it spins in a cicrcle doesnt mean its worth installing.

Gear reducted starter, blue lock tite for good measure, new bolts... End of the problems... As a matter of fact that will usually fix 98% of EVERYONES starter issue / staring / relay / solenoid / nose cone / grinding / whatever issues.

Sometimes you have to actually FIX the problem, it cost a few bucks, but usually its worth spending the money not to have to do it 2, 3, 4, 5 times.

I want to fix it right and not have to do it again, that's why I am soliciting opinions, since my original bolt hole is already thrashed, I want it to be secure. I already bought new bolts, proper ones.

CAN I USE LOCK TITE ON A HELI-COIL?

 

[devilman96]

I usually use the red type installing a HC... and blue going in with the bolt AFTER the other cures.