Breaking starter bolts

[jpchris]

I am having a problem with my starter bolts breaking. This is the third time it has happened. The last time I had to drill it out and what a mess. Has anyone else had this problem and do you have a solution. Getting ready to leave for Christmas, and you guessed it a broken starter bolt. :confused: I have a 6.5 turbo diesel GMC Tahoe 1995

[gmctd]

Does your starter require a brace from the engine block to the starter end-bell?
If it is missing, the bolts will break.

[DieselDavy]

Chris,
You should have one of the smaller starters on there so the brace while very important on the larger starters won't even fit the smaller ones. My guess is that you have some wear on your flywheel/flex plate. Do you have lots of miles on the unit? On one of my high mile 6.2s I had a problem with wearing out starters and had problems with the bolts coming loose once in a while. Only had one that actually broke. Make sure you torque them properly.
Anyway, check your flywheel (flexplate for autos) for worn teeth. The engine will have two places where it likes to stop. Those two places will be the where the teeth will show wear. Remove the torque convertor cover and check it out!
Good Luck,
Dave

[gmctd]

GM designed, GM approved, and GM-installed on your GM Diesel vehicle at the GM factory,
the GM gear-drive starter brace part number is 23502557 (GM).
Go to your local GM dealer, where the GM parts man in the GM parts department
should be able to reference that GM number in the GM parts directory.
He should then be able to pull that GM starter brace off the shelf in the GM
warehouse, and charge you a GM price.

Once you install the GM starter brace between the GM Diesel block and the GM gear-drive starter,
the extra support added by the GM brace should keep the GM starter from breaking the
GM bolts at the GM starter flange.

Hmmmm....methinks I seemingly tend to belabor the GM point, there. ;)

DieselDavey is correct, in that the earlier, non gear-drive starter, seemingly as big as the water heater in your house, requires a different bracket which does not fit the gear-drive starters.

Both, non gear-drive and gear-drive, starters need the front support brace to prevent mounting bolt breakage.

[ 12-20-2003, 06:34 PM: Message edited by: gmctd ]

[Shad]

Yes mine sheared off this fall because the front bracket was not hooked up. I feel your pain!

[kowsoc]

I had broken bolts twice in about 2 weeks. My bracket turned out to be broken. The GM bracket on the front of the starter is cheap (only $2.40 CAN) but worth its weight in gold. A local starter/alternator rebuilder told me that a lot of people don't bother putting the support bracket back on after changing the starter because it can be a little tricky, but without it the bolts will break. Check to be sure your bracket is there because the nose of the starter or the bell housing might break next!