1968 Camaro Starter drive gear jammed. (won't retract)

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islandplans
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Joined: Thu May 09, 2013 10:51 am

1968 Camaro Starter drive gear jammed. (won't retract)

Unread post by islandplans » Thu May 09, 2013 10:53 am

Hello all, hoping for some help. Fairly limited knowledge here. I have a sbc engine with starter problem. The car can sometimes start once and run fine, but then when attempt to start second time starter gear gets stuck in flexplate. I crawl under and push starter gear back to place. Bought a new starter - it jammed. Tried shimming - no luck. Had original starter rebuilt since I knew it lined up perfectly and had worked many times before recent problem. Bench test is fine... but on the car same problem. Started once, then jammed. A friend suggests it is electrical but I am confused. I thought it would be a mechanical issue since it is a spring that disengages/returns the starter drive gear? I don't think flexplate is bent or damaged. Any suggestions? Thank you very much.

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ProTech
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Re: 1968 Camaro Starter drive gear jammed. (won't retract)

Unread post by ProTech » Thu May 09, 2013 5:32 pm

If the same problem persists with different starters installed, then it isn't a starter problem unless you have really bad luck. There are two possibilities left, electrical and mechanical issues. You might want to check that there is no voltage backfeeding the starter circuit and keeping it partially engaged. That is pretty rare, so it's most likely something wrong in the mounting area/flexplate area. This could be a bent flexplate, or otherwise un-level mounting situation. You say you've tried shimming the starter, but did you try multiple combinations and see if anything changed? Just throwing one shim in and still having the same issue really doesn't cut it. It could take many or few, and of different thicknesses to get it just right. You might want to start with that since it's the easiest and least expensive thing to try.

If none of that checks out as a problem, you may have to remove the transmission so you can fully inspect the flexplate and surrounding area.
GM Dealer Technician For 18+ Years
In the automotive industry for 20+

islandplans
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu May 09, 2013 10:51 am

Re: 1968 Camaro Starter drive gear jammed. (won't retract)

Unread post by islandplans » Fri May 10, 2013 10:24 am

Thanks ProTech - I'll try the easier possibilities first and look to your voltage suggestion. Shimming should not be an issue as the original (now rebuilt), starter is back in and looks to line up perfectly as it did before. Double checked with 1/8" measurement etc.
Thanks again.

islandplans
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu May 09, 2013 10:51 am

Re: 1968 Camaro Starter drive gear jammed. (won't retract)

Unread post by islandplans » Thu May 16, 2013 10:29 am

Here is an update on what I found. Just one more thing to add to my future diagnostics list. Since I put back the original starter and the gear got stuck in the flexplate again, logic said the geometry had not changed so shimming would not help. It turns out the voltage regulator was faulty. The battery was not being properly charged but apparently had just enough 'juice' to engage the starter but not crank it over. It's a very good, high amp battery, so maybe if I had a worse battery it would not even have engaged the starter. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions and that is what I found.
Take care.

jennjohn
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Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:47 pm

1982 El Camino losing power

Unread post by jennjohn » Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:54 pm

I have a 1982 El Camino 3.8 v6 and it all of a sudden started losing power when take off. We did put in a new fuel filter. What could be the problem?

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carriedi
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Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:42 pm

Re: 1982 El Camino losing power

Unread post by carriedi » Fri Aug 09, 2013 10:02 am

check your fuel pressure while accelerating. You could also check for excessive back pressure in the exhaust. MAF may not be working correctly. if your MAF has an intake hose has a leak in the tube it would usually open up because the engine torques over when accelerating. You could hook up a graphing scanner and watch your TPS, fuel trim and what your oxygen sensor does when you are experiencing the problem.
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Sparkysparks
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Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:22 pm

"94"Camaro 3400 v-6

Unread post by Sparkysparks » Sat Aug 02, 2014 9:25 pm

How do I check to make sure the engine hasn't jumped time?

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carriedi
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Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:42 pm

Re: "94"Camaro 3400 v-6

Unread post by carriedi » Tue Aug 05, 2014 11:37 pm

the only way to verify actual cam timing is to take the timing cover off and line up the timing marks in the timing gears.
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