Best way to secure starter bolts?

[snoman87]

I got lucky today ... only one of the two starter bolts fell would in my travels for work. I managed to stick a peice of wood between the starter and oil pan to hold the starter in place to get in running again and drive it home. Grad the car and swung by GM for a new bolt. Tonight when I get home I am going to put it all back together.

What is the best way to ensure that thing doesn't come loose again ... besided crawling under it every 5000km to tighten it :) Lock washer of some type or lock tight (probably too much oil for lock tight to work properly)

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

"...lock tight (probably too much oil for lock tight to work properly)" Why not? Buy a can of brake cleaner (~$1 at WalMart), squirt liberally up into the holes in the block for the bolts, hose down the bolts & starter bolt holes with the same stuff, allow a couple minutes for it to dry.

Personally I've never had a starter bolt problem - I install them with Anti-Seize.

Best of luck &...

Blessings!

[john8662]

These are GM "starter bolts" right. The bolts should have a grainy area that is used as a lock into the starter case. If these are smooth bolts all the way to the heads (with the exception of the the treads) then they will probably come loose. Is the washer underneath the bolt head present?

What are you torqueing you bolts to?

I've been using 35 ft. lbs. w/o incident, the book calls for 40 ft. lbs. (which seems high, and more likely to pull a thread in the block IMHO).

Lock-tite might be a good idea.

Make sure you clean out the holes good, if they're greasy this could be part of the problem.

Get ya a good can of brake parts cleaner (make sure and get the straw too) and clean out the holes real good, it'll degrease it for you.

J

[snoman87]

Thanks guys ... I am going to arm myself with some brake cleaner and a tourque wrench!!!!

The new starter bolt has that textured area near the treads. I will look at the other one and if it doesn't I will swap it out as well.

There where no washer ... should there be? The new one has a hex head and a flat surface built into it.

[ZZ]

I only had starter bolt problems twice when I was a dumba** and left the starter brace off.

It's just a thought...

[snoman87]

Yep I was bumb enough to leave the starter bolt off. Brake cleaner isn't going to help me now ... the rear most bolt snapped of at the threads.

First order of buisness, get a starter brace for a 6.5 starter!!!!

[ZZ]

My last one was on an '83 Chevy van. The bolt broke off smooth in the bolt hole next to the block.

I put it in a shop. The guy had to drill it out, and put in a heli-coil. That & the brace held till I sold it.

[john8662]

It's a sure thing...

No brace = broken bolt in the block eventually!

Had it happen to me, not fun, but you can get the broken piece out and life will be good again.

Just checked one of my spare starter bolts. The washer isn't just a washer, it's a lock washer. You need a lock washer underneat the head of those bolts!

Yep, gear reduction starter = 6.5 starter brace (makes it easier for the parts guy to find you the right one).

J

[HammerWerf]

Snowman

When I had a bolts snap off a couple of years ago on my 84, I went to the dealer here in town to buy the bolts. The parts guy also handed me a couple of special flat washers, about 3/16" thick that went between the bolt head and starter body. These were GM SPECIAL parts. 2 bucks for the bolt, 5 Bucks for the washer. Bought them, installed, torqued to 35 lbs, and haven't really checked them since. Dove under a time or two just to make sure the bolts were still there. They have been good to me.

HammerWerf