Hi Folks, I have an interesting problem.
I have a 1984 Chevy Blazer 4x4 with a thm700r4. The original engine was a 305 and it was replaced, by the original owner, with a Mr. Goodwrench 350.
After the swap, the engine acquired an appetite for starters. Every three months or so, the starter fails. (Of course, the owner did not tell me this when he sold the blazer.)
I have been going nuts, trying to solve the problem. I even bought a GM rebuilt starter and ring gear and made doubly sure that the starter was shimmed correctly.
Currently, the truck is located in a small texas town on the border with Mexico and I asked a local mechanic to look at the problem. He said something that was very interesting. He has seen that problem four times - that is, GM Goodwrench Crate Engines that eat starters. The solution is to replace the 9 tooth bendix with a ten tooth bendix. The ten tooth bendix is not available in the US, you have to go to mexico to get it.
Has anyone run into this problem and solution?
-David