I am having ongoing starter issues with my 1980 silverrado.

It has a 454, with a auto tranny/transfer case behind it.

I just got this truck 2 months ago, when I got it it sounded like a dead battery, ended up being the starter. I replaced the starter and no matter which way I shimmed it, it "clunked". I noticed 3 teeth that were rounded off pretty good and I ended up replacing the flywheel. Now with a new starter, new flywheel it worked fine for a couple of cranks then started making a noise (like when you are starting a engine and it almosts starts, dies and then you go to restart before waiting for the starter to "stop" that weeeein noise.) which is a new noise, didn't do it before. The starter is now eating my flywheel (the very ends of the teeth are breaking off). I decided to unhook the battery and run a test wire to the solenoid from the battery to see how far it engages, the damn thing looks to be hardly going all the way onto the flywheel, maybe a 1/8-1/4" thats it. I am stumped and have never had such problems with a stupid starter before!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please help!!!!!!!

 

If the starter is not engaging the flywheel all the way, you probably have the wrong starter installed. Or if you had it rebuilt, they could have used wrong parts inside the starter

 

IN MY PAST EXPERIENCE WITH STARTER ISSUES,IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU BOUGHT THE STARTER, IS IT AFTERMARKET OR IS IT BOUGHT FROM THE DEALER. I HAD A VEHICLE THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND I COMPARED THE AFTERMARKET STARTER TO THE DEALER SUPPLIED STARTER AND THE NOSE CONE OF THE AFTERMARKET TO THE DEALER AND THE WAS 1/2 INCH DIFFERENCE ON HOW THE SHAFT SITS IN CENTER OF THE STARTER AND ANOTHER THE NOSE CONE WAS 1/4" SHORTER THAN DEALER SUPPLIED.SO I REPLACED THE FLYWHEEL AND TO SEE HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE THERE WAS I INSTALLED THE AFTERMARKET STARTER ON THE NEW FLYWHEEL IT GRINDED FIRST CRANK. I TOOK IT OUT AND INSTALLED THE DEALER STARTER AND I AM GOING ON 7 YRS WITH THE SAME STARTER NOW. IT IS WORTH SPENDING THE EXTRA MONEY ON A DEALER STARTER AFTER REPLACING FLYWHEEL. LET KNOW WHAT YOU FIND OUT.

 

And for gods sake....if you have an OEM starter that works. Do not give it up as a core. Swap the nose cone from old to new. No shim/s to figure out.