Dodge '77 truck starter problems

Hi,

I have a Dodge '77 pick up, which has been having some problems with the starter. Background info, its an automatic, with a 318, 3/4 ton.

The thing is kind of an old piece of shit and the wiring is pretty crappy.

Anyway, Last summer I started having some problems with it starting.

I replaced the battery, the battery cables, the solenoid/relay box on the inside of the fender and then replaced the starter. It worked great for a few weeks, then got progressively worse and worse. By worse, I mean grinding a lot.

Then one espeically cold night, I tried to start it, and it made an awful grind and I could hear metal being ripped apart, and then the starter would just rev up by itself. I slammed the door, and walked straight to the bar.

The next morning, I pulled the starter, and looked at the flywheel. Two teeth were missing side by side, so I took it into the shop to have the flywheel / torque converter replaced. While in the shop, they also noticed that my alternator was not wired correctly and wasn't putting power back into the system. The flywheel was replaced, and the alternator was wired correctly. They explained that because the alternator wasnt putting power back into the system, the starter wasnt getting enough power and that was what was cauing the grinding.

Okay, so it ran great for another few weeks.. but then it started grinding a bit when I would go to start it, but if I let off the key and then tried it again, it would usually start up great the second time.. it kept getting worse and worse, until one morning I went out and tried to start it, and the starter just revved up all by itself, with no engagement of the flywheel at all.. I pulled the starter, looked at the flywheel, and it was fine, the teeth looked great. I brought the starter into the auto parts store to have it tested, and it passed.. and we made sure that the gear on the starter did fully move forward and extend, which it did..

I went back to the shop and told them it was still grinding, and they said I should just buy a new starter and replace it.

I bought a new starter, and put it on, and it started up perfectly with no grinding. This is where I am at now, but I am worried this starter will just die again.

Do you think there is something wrong with my truck that is causing these starters to die, or are they just piece of shit starters that are just poor quality and die on their own?. they are reman starters from mexico, all I can find at the local stores. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Here is my two cents for what it's worth.

I'm not sure why the original starter chewed up your flywheel, but I have a theory. It is typical that flywheel teeth get chewed up when an engine stalls, and an impatient driver attempts to restart the engine before the crankshaft stops turning. A spinning flywheel meeting a spinning starter gear will cause grinding and knashing of teeth everytime.

After reading your story on the last starter, it is clear to me that the one-way clutch on the starter drive gear failed. The grinding you were hearing then was the sound of the one-way clutch in the gear drive destroying itself. I am surprised that the idiots at the auto parts store didn't think of checking the "Bendix Drive" on the drive gear when they bench tested the starter.

I don't believe you will have another problem going forward, as long as you wait for the engine to stop turning before you attempt to restart it, should it ever stall.