Well I be damned again! This time in a good way! Check this out.
If you have followed this episode thus far, Chereo and I both have come to the same conclusion as to why this failure happens. To recap, the short bolt bracket side of the starter (closest to the flywheel) breaks away from the starter, which leaves all of the stress on the long bolt (outer edge of the engine block). When you attempt to start the car, the stress on the outer edge of the block is so extreme, that it cause the block failure. The consensus to eliminating this issue is to use a starter that has a reinforced bracket, which uses 2 LONG bolts instead of the 1 long and one short bolt. It is the reinforced bracket that eliminates this failure, not the length of the bolts. The bolts are only mentioned because the reinforced starter bracket REQUIRES 2 long bolts.
So as I'm about to roll out for a network job, I glance over at my new starter sitting on the bench and suddenly have a "I don't freakin' believe it" moment. Look at what I saw:
Now here's the deal. I DID NOT ask for a GM LS1 truck starter when I bought this. I asked for a 2001 Corvette (non-Z06) starter. That's the car I have. When they bought it out, I inspected the contents of the box and saw only one bolt. At first I was going to ask the guy why it only came with one bolt, but I didn't because I was thinking that I would just reuse my old short bolt. At the time, I didn't know all about this starter issue so I didn't pay attention to what the bracket looked like, APPARENTLY, GM has acknowledged that the old design had an issue and has started selling this reinforced version as a direct replacement! How about them apples! :surprised
Another thing. The instructions in the box stated that you HAD to use the supplied bolt. I stared at that bolt and my old long bolt and I couldn't figure out why it was required. Now I know!
This starter comes with a lifetime warranty and the packaging states that it is an AC Delco brand (even though the box it comes in says differently). However, stamped on the starter itself, I see this:
That explains what the paperwork said regardless of what the box looks like:
I bought this starter from
Bumper to Bumper for $112.00, minus the $60 core charge (this store is nationwide so there may be one near you). The dealer wanted almost $500.00 for the same starter. :surprised
So for you guys who are following this saga, I would be changing out your starter if you have the old design. It's not a bad job at all and if you get up under the car, you will be able to see which design you have without disassembling anything. The hardest part of the job is unplugging the connector position assurance (CPA) locks (which are fancy zip tie looking things that keep the H02 sensor plugs from vibrating apart). Most guys would just cut them and use some zip ties when they reassemble every thing but I'm a little more anal.
Man, I hope someone benefits from this. I don't want to see anyone else go through this headache. :thud:
AJ, sounds like time for a mild performance rebuild. I have a set of LS6 heads and a used short block I'd sell ya for a pretty good deal.
No upgrades in horsepower for me. The main reason is my 500Hp El Camino and all the headaches involved with it. That was my last souped up engine build. This Corvette is staying stock. Maybe when the motor goes for good, I'll add some better quality parts but this go cart is plenty fast for me. :thumbsup: