Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

[Clem Z.]

Re: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom Again

Now that I have the car out of the garage, I can install my garage door opener, which is what I started off to do this weekend.

Thanks all for the quick response and help,[/quote]
garage door work was also on my schedule this weekend as i had a garage door spring break that had the cable thru the spring to keep it from flying BUT the cable anchor in the wall pulled out and the spring hit the floor between the my 2008 corvette and mrs clem's 2004 impala. no damage except to some ceiling plaster,LUCKY. so check where your spring cable is anchored to make sure it is secure

[Gene M.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

Gerald,
Remove the bell housing inspection cover and remove any pieces that may be in there.

[John H.]

Re: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom Again

garage door work was also on my schedule this weekend as i had a garage door spring break that had the cable thru the spring to keep it from flying BUT the cable anchor in the wall pulled out and the spring hit the floor between the my 2008 corvette and mrs clem's 2004 impala. no damage except to some ceiling plaster,LUCKY. so check where your spring cable is anchored to make sure it is secure

Clem -

Our county building code prohibits that type of garage door spring in new construction, just for that reason; you must have had a 4-leaf clover left over from St. Patty's day to be that lucky.

[Gerard F.]

Re: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom Again

Clem,

Here's the garage I'm talking about:



I just did away with the side-spring door, and had a new door with the torsion bar springs on it. Because of the lack of clearance for an overhead operator (beam straight across at about 8' back), I had to get an "I-Drive" which works on the torsion bar without any chain drive going back. I almost got it on today, but ran out of time.

If you notice this 1930's garage (which had a Model T pickup in it before I got it), it has a wood plank floor (2" thick cedar). It sits off a hillside, and I reinforced the floor so that I could cut out, remove and replace the planks in the middle 24".

I can then get under the car from a room below for at least front third, with a ladder. Give's me a pit. Worked out just great this morning with the starter.

[Dale S.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

Jerry, Sorry to see the problem you were having. I did not know you needed a 320 starter. I will start watching for one. The advise that the last poster gave you was good. Usually the gear does not break unless there is another problem( not to say there is another problem). The drive gear( small) is the safety valve. Going to see the radiologist tomorrow and next week the robotic surgeon. Dale

[Charles F.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

Jerry:

Just for fun, I copied/pasted your starter number (1107320) into eBay: got 46 items. Take a look; maybe there is something there for you ! They seem to range in price from about $80 to about $200 (restored). I am not involved with any of them.

Chuck Faillace

[Joe L.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

Jerry:

Just for fun, I copied/pasted your starter number (1107320) into eBay: got 46 items. Take a look; maybe there is something there for you ! They seem to range in price from about $80 to about $200 (restored). I am not involved with any of them.

Chuck Faillace

Charles and Jerry-----


Keep in mind that if you buy a 1107320 starter what you're paying for is a number stamped on a starter frame. Configurationally and functionally, a lot of other starters are exactly the same. Some are slightly different configurationally but better functionally. Specifically, the 1107320 is a standard torque starter and, unless the frame is modified (and, different internal parts used), will always be a standard torque starter. I prefer high torque starters, even for small blocks.

[Joe L.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

So, anticipating a possible question, how does one get a high torque starter for a 63-68 small block? It's like this: if you want a STANDARD TORQUE starter, as original, then you buy an AC-Delco #323-236 high quality rebuilt starter or equivalent thereof.

If you want a HIGH TORQUE starter for a 63-68 small block, then you buy an AC-Delco #323-364 high quality rebuilt starter or equivalent thereof.

It's as simple as that.

[Loren L.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

Jerry, what happened is a good example of God's way with 50 year old mechanical pieces, ala "So you think you have plans for this afternoon, Grasshopper? Try this.".

[Gerard F.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

Joe,

What could possibly cause the kickback and damage to the starter shown in the pictures above.

The engine is my original 67/327/300HP with about 65k miles. Burns about a quart of oil in 1000 miles. Never been overhauled, original cam, original distributor (refurbed), refurbed 3810 carb. Heads and exhaust manifold never been off. New plugs AC44, new plug wires (ohmed out), new OEM clutch which runs sweet. New rear trailing arms complete.

My hobby is to keep this engine in tune. It just runs great, idles down to 550 rpm, and I'll get 17.5 mpg on a long trip averaging 65 mph. I do keep the initial timing at 8d instead of the stock 6d. Never any hesitation on start (when the starter is working). Have consistently scored 101% at Flight and Founders Ops.

What should I be looking at?

The starter I pulled out yesterday was a Autolite rebuilt (Kragens) put in at a shop 2 years ago. I replaced it with the same Autolite number starter, which is their listed number for the year/engine.

[Mike M.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

Hi Jerry.
Not realizing that was a rebuilt starter, the situation could be as simple as its having a crack before it was installed.
HaND
PS: Yes, then there are the new trailing arms.

[Joe L.]

Re: Clank, clank, clank, no start-What's wrong

Joe,

What could possibly cause the kickback and damage to the starter shown in the pictures above.

The engine is my original 67/327/300HP with about 65k miles. Burns about a quart of oil in 1000 miles. Never been overhauled, original cam, original distributor (refurbed), refurbed 3810 carb. Heads and exhaust manifold never been off. New plugs AC44, new plug wires (ohmed out), new OEM clutch which runs sweet. New rear trailing arms complete.

My hobby is to keep this engine in tune. It just runs great, idles down to 550 rpm, and I'll get 17.5 mpg on a long trip averaging 65 mph. I do keep the initial timing at 8d instead of the stock 6d. Never any hesitation on start (when the starter is working). Have consistently scored 101% at Flight and Founders Ops.

What should I be looking at?

The starter I pulled out yesterday was a Autolite rebuilt (Kragens) put in at a shop 2 years ago. I replaced it with the same Autolite number starter, which is their listed number for the year/engine.

Jerry-----

It's a mystery to me what caused the kickback. Did you notice any kickback on the starting attempt that resulted in the problem?

I think it may have just been a starter drive failure. In many starter rebuilds the starter drive is not replaced. Sometimes, the drives are "rebuilt"; sometimes they are just "tested" and re-used. All starter rebuilds are not the same. Autolite is a quality brand, so I would think their rebuilt starters would be high quality, but who knows? Or, they may have different "grades" of rebuilt starters.

The real high quality starter rebuilds contain all NEW internal components. Basically, just the frame and nose are re-used and, sometimes, even the nose is replaced. You can also buy NEW, high quality starters as manufactured by Bosch and Remy.

As far as "lifetime" warranties on rebuilt starters are concerned, that's not necessarily indicative of quality. Usually, these warranties are applicable only to the original purchaser. The theory is that by the time that someone needs to replace a starter on a car, either the remaining life of the car or the purchaser-of-the-starter's ownership period of the car is only a few more years. So, the starter only needs to be good enough to last 3 or 4 years, at most. If a few fail within that period or if a few folks happen to keep their car longer than 3-4 more years, they may have to "cough up" a free starter but that's just part of the cost of doing business. It's worth it because of the confidence that the "lifetime warranty" provides to the purchaser.