Vital Specs:
84 Trans Am
GM 350 with 700r4
168 tooth flexplate

I purchased a Summit Mini Starter (SUM-G1660A) and the instructions tell me to mount the starter and then check the mesh of the starter gear with the flexplate ring gear. My question is this: to check this, do I manually extend the starter gear by pulling on it until it's meshed with the flexplate? The spring inside the solenoid makes this tough to do. How does everyone else do this?

Thanks,
Joe

 

Great instructions that are totally unworkable. You may want to try disconnecting the heavy wire from the solenoid to the starter motor and using a jumper wire to energize the solenoid to take a measurement. I don't know if the "hold-in" windings are strong enough to pull the bendix out but it's worth a shot. Don't leave the bendix extended for longer than 30 seconds because the solenoid will get hot quick. You should try doing the old delco starters with the nose cone on them. Even after removing the solenoid and spring to get the bendix out you still can't see squat. Back in the day, we would use the shims that came off of the original starter as a starting point. Of course, if you're putting in a new engine you can't do that. If the clearance is too close or too wide it will make a horrible loud noise. It will be really obvious. Add a shim and it will get louder or quieter. Keep adding or subtracting until it sounds "normal". I know this sounds over simplified but it worked.

 

Yea, I checked this on my motor build. Just jump power and ground to your solenoid, it should just "clack" and stick out its gear. Use a paper clip to check the clearance. If the paperclip is a normal ~.020" thick one, then you should just be able to get it in between the tip of the bendix gear and into the deep groove of the flywheel gears.