455 Buick breaking starters

[sum_cut]

Finally got motor running right and life was good until, yesterday I went to leave my shop. Tried to crank up the car and saw a cloud of smoke pop up and the car wouldn't start. After jacking it up I see that it cracked the housing around the starter. Returned it got another. First time and second time cranked perfectly third time it broke in the same place. Thought that I might need to shim it up but it looks like the teeth on the bendex are hardly catching the flywheel. A couple of people have said it's the wrong size flywheel but it took 2 months to find this one and it was the perfect size with the same number of teeth. At $60 a starter this is becoming a costly problem

 

[magoo_oner]

I had the same problem with my last build and finaly I went over to a mini high torque starter that used a differnt bolt pattern it went straight accross instead of staggered and I never broke it since

 

[online170]

What is your timing set at?

 

[Geed_up_442]

i was going to say the same as online170 and ask about your timing. I had the same problem a year ago went through two new starters. If i remember correctly i had to dial the timing back. Haven't broke a starter since.

 

[online170]

i was going to say the same as online170 and ask about your timing. I had the same problem a year ago went through two new starters. If i remember correctly i had to dial the timing back. Haven't broke a starter since.

Or put in a throw switch connected to your ignition.

Switch the ignition OFF, crank crank crank, throw the switch ON and it will fire right up and let your starter live forever.

I bet you are waaaaaaaaaaaaay advanced right now, and when a starter tries to fight engine torque, it loses. It probably also cranks very slowly like the battery is dying.

 

[Intragration]

I've got a 9.5:1 Olds 455 set at about 15* initial timing, and the factory starter works fine. It cranks a little slow when I try to start it within 5 minutes of a hot shutdown, but it doesn't seem that this would cause it to crack or burn out unless it was cranked excessively. I wonder about the meshing. I'm not a Buick guy, but are all your parts (crank, flywheel) matched to your transmission type, auto or manual?

 

[larryo454]

2X on the ignition throw switch, but your starter is not fighting engine torque. But fire in the bore that is what you know as backfire, and when my BBC does this it spits the starter on the ground lol head gone and flexplate so x2 for the ignition switch.

i was going to say the same as online170 and ask about your timing. I had the same problem a year ago went through two new starters. If i remember correctly i had to dial the timing back. Haven't broke a starter since.

Or put in a throw switch connected to your ignition.

Switch the ignition OFF, crank crank crank, throw the switch ON and it will fire right up and let your starter live forever.

I bet you are waaaaaaaaaaaaay advanced right now, and when a starter tries to fight engine torque, it loses. It probably also cranks very slowly like the battery is dying.

 

[sum_cut]

Thanks for the help, gonna retard the timing some, noticed that it does hit a had spot like the timing is to high.

 

[565bbchevy]

I don't know if this applies to Buicks but I know on a Chevy if you don't have the proper starter bolts with the knurl on the bolt then you can end up with starter issues. I also used to run a ignition throw switch on my high compression big block to solve the kickback problems but never broke a starter only teeth on the flexplate on my current 565BBC with 10.9 comp. I haven't used it and never had a problem.

 

[online170]

Ive broken a starter with a freinds 455 olds we built. 10:1 compression. It didnt sound wierd but we captured it on video and it was very violent.

The timing was almost a full cylinder advanced though. I would guess maybe 40 degrees.