Just wondering what you fellas think, I'm about to install the 3rd new starter since October. Most people, without knowing any details, say no way you got 2 bad starters, you've got a messed-up flywheel.

Here's what happened--the original denso gave it up at year 14, last October, dead. Replaced it with a new AC Delco lifetime, nothing out of the ordinary, 2 mos. later, it failed to do anything with a twist of the key. Then it worked. Then it burned up the wire going into the starter body.

Got a replacement. From day 1, it banged ever few cranks. It began to do nothing ever few turns of the key.

Got the replacement. what I notice is that on the one I just took out, the teeth can be rotated clockwise, and then counter-clockwise, the teeth extend up as if to engage.

On the new one, the gears can only rotate clockwise. They cannot go counter-clockwise.

I dunno, I can keep replacing them, but wondered if it's really bad aftermarket parts, or something is wrong with the car.

When you think about it, everything was totally normal, up to 2 mos. into the first replacement....

 

p.s. I believe it rotates counter-clockwise to start the car, so that would imply going clockwise is slipping. So why could the defective starter be rotated counter-clockwise by hand, yet the brand new one cannot.....

 

I can't remember ever turning the starter gear by hand. But the gear has to freewheel in one direction because when the engine starts, it would spin the starter motor at an extremely high rpm

 

Just put the replacement starter in, and turned her over 11X, no issues or banging sounds like the last one....also, the trigger wire plug fit this time. On the first two, the starter had the wrong one (This seriously implies quality issues in China).

The last one banged on day one and once kept cranking to the point I disconnected the battery, so again, I have hope...this is the 3rd starter since October.

I had it backwards, the new one could be rotated counter-clockwise, and not clockwise, the old one both ways, and it extended when rotated clockwise...I think it was broken on day 1, which stinks.....

 

Day 3 with the new starter and zero issues....I guess it truly is hit/miss with replacement starters...I hope this third one (AC Delco new) can last a few years, not months like the other two....