How To Shim Your Car Starter Like A Pro?

Do you sometimes find it hard to start your car, or does it make a noise when you start it? What would be more frustrating than a worn-out and old starter that just would not turn over? Do you think about the brand-new starter that will not crank over?

If yes, then you should look for the one that engages properly and fit correctly. But remember, a starter is not also responsible for noise; shims may be the main reason behind this. If you start your car without a shim, your car may sound like starter cranks and loud sound.

You need to use a shim to avoid noises that the starter emits. There may be many reasons for the starter noise, including the starter being too far or too close to flywheel teeth, loose mounting bolts, and much more.

Many people prefer not to use a shim, but they need to check the clearance of the gear with a wire gauge. You can move gear easily to meet the flywheel by removing the solenoid. You should also use the right starter mounting bolt with knurling that facilitates alignment. But sometimes, the starters require shims to keep the drive gear away from the flex tape gear.

Do you know how to install or use a starter shim? When you buy a car and get its engine, you are not informed of whether your starter has a shim or not.

You can take the cover off to examine the starter and the flex tape. Sometimes it seems impossible to see how gears would line up. You should know how to engage the driver to see the distance. You can avoid loud clunking noise by using a starter with a shim.

If you don’t have a shim with your car starters, then you should buy a prestigious starter with shims as it can be very helpful in reducing loud clunking sound and getting a smooth sound when you start your car.

Some starters required shims to provide clearance between the flywheel and the pinion gear. Some people also use flat washers in place of shims. To know about the shimming procedure, you need to know how to remove and install a starter. Here, we have mentioned some steps to remove and install it. Let’s have a look below:

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Starter Removal and Installation

How to Remove Starter?

• First of all, you need to disconnect the negative battery cable and raise the vehicle.
• Now disconnect solenoid wiring and replace each nut. You can tag the wiring position for starter installation purposes.
• Now remove the bracket from the starter, the starter mounting bolts, and an upper bolt of the front bracket from the solenoid shield.
• You can see the projected starter shim tab between the surfaces of the starter and block. You need to remove this outer bolt and lose an inner. Lower the front end of the starter first and remove the unit. Sometimes, you may find it with an inner loosened bolt and an outer removed bolt; the shim may grasp and pull from the starter’s top, so be careful.
• If you cannot see the shim tab or shims fall from the starter as it was being removed from the car, then you can use flat washers. You need not try to determine the locations of shims. You can collect the shim for reuse during installation. Shim without tab may be positioned on a starter before its installation, but bolt may hold through starter installation for holding the washers or shims in position.

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How to Install Starter?

Photo Credit: http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/additional-tech/sucp-0107-chevy-starter-tuning/

• If you have found shims or washers without tabs on starter removal, you should position these shims on the top position of the starter. You can use the mounting holes to hold them in the correct
• Now, you need to fix and position the starter to the engine block
• Install the mounting bolts loosely
• You should position the shims before lining the outer mounting bolt
• Once the shims and starter are positioned properly, you can tighten two mounting bolts.
• Install the front bracket of the starter too
• You can attach the starter wiring to the solenoid
• Remove the jack stand, lower the car, and reconnect the battery cable.

This is all about the removal and installation of the starter. You need to follow all the steps carefully to avoid any inconvenience in the further procedure.

In this guide, we have mentioned the shimming process below: You can follow the tips below to preserve the life of the starter and flywheel in your engine.

• First of all, you need to disconnect the negative battery cable.
• Now, raise and support the car with the help of jack stands. Be very careful while doing this.
• You can remove the flywheel inspection cover on the bell housing
• Turn the flywheel with the help of turning tools and inspect the flywheel teeth. If you find any damage, you need to replace it.
• Find out the hole in the bottom of the car starter and insert a screwdriver into it. You need to move the clutch assembly and starter pinion to fit the flywheel teeth and pinion together. You can rotate the flywheel if required.
• Now use a 020-inch wire gauge to check for the pinion to flywheel clearance. You can use your wire gauge or use a spark plug wire gauge to check it. Center the pinion between the gauge and the flywheel teeth. Sometimes, people place it in corners, and it shows a false reading. If you want to see correct readings, then you should center it. You need to shim the starter of your vehicle away from the flywheel by adding shims one at a time to the starter mount if the clearance is found under this minimum. You must also check out the clearance after adding shims one by one.
• If you find the good clearance dealt in the vicinity or over 0.20 in., then you need to shim the starter toward the flywheel. Severely damaged and broken flywheel teeth are also a good indicator of good clearance. You can shim the starter towards the flywheel by just adding a shim to the outboard starter mounting pad. Again, you need to check the clearance after adding each time. A 0.015-inhim may decrease the clearance by about 0.010 in.

Photo Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5a8kVUKht4

You can follow the above tips to shim your car starter. You can also find this information in a guide you get with the starter when you buy a brand-new starter with prestigious shims. You can also learn all about the shimming process from this guide. You can do it in a simple and easy way. Shim is great for drivers who want a good driving experience always.

Every car owner knows the starter is responsible for cranking the engine. The starter is used to engage the flywheel teeth when you start the car or insert the key in the ignition in the crank position. Sometimes, you feel noisy and loud sounds; it may be due to several factors. Choosing the best engine oil for your car will be the perfect option. You need to know how to shim your car starter to avoid this problem.

Here in this guide, we have mentioned some steps that help you find out the main causes of the problem and the fixing procedure. The old starter may be the cause of noise and loud sound; sometimes, shims may be the main cause of this problem. You can stop this noise while starting your car by following the tips mentioned in this guide.