Starter grinding with 4l80e install
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Starter grinding with 4l80e install Car had a th350 with dished flexplate in it for the past year while i was saving up to get my 4l80e rebuilt. Well I just got the 80e in over the past weekend between two snow storms and now i'm getting issues with the starter and flexplate grinding. Had no issues with the dished flexplate that was in the car before but i'm thinking maybe the 80e flexplate in the car is out of round or something? In the first video you can see it'll get to a point where the bendix won't even be able to turn the flexplate as it gets stuck behind it. Is there a difference between a 5.3 and 6.0 starter as far as bendix placement for the different flex plates? It doesn't make any sounds when the car is running so the flexplate isn't rubbing against the bellhousing or anything like that. So excited to finally have overdrive and now this happens 
i think the videos are having issues but you can still here it
i think the videos are having issues but you can still here itLast edited by appelt1967; Mar 1, 2018 at 08:54 AM.
What FW/spacer setup did you use. I see the FW look wobbly, did the converter pull out to the FW or did you try and draw it against it. They list diff starters, but as far as I know the FW's are the same dia. I have had to shim starters, but the stock ones usually don't need it. If your converter bottomed out against the crank before the pads touched the FW then you have a problem. GM didn't do us any favors on the FW side, lol.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
This is a stock 6.0 flexplate with stock 6.0 spacer where the spacer goes on before the flexplate. And there was about a gap between the converter and flexplate, don't remember how big the gap was but I used the converter bolts to pull the converter in the last 3/16" because it was a little tight (assuming from the centering sleeve from the spacer to converter?).
The converter is a new rebuilt unit so I was going to purchase new starter bolts and a new flexplate for now since those are both the oldest components?
Come to think of it the converter is painted, should i sand off the paint on the snout so it'll slide into the spacer easier?
The converter is a new rebuilt unit so I was going to purchase new starter bolts and a new flexplate for now since those are both the oldest components?
Come to think of it the converter is painted, should i sand off the paint on the snout so it'll slide into the spacer easier?
Last edited by appelt1967; Mar 1, 2018 at 08:57 AM.
You shouldn't have to pull the converter onto the FW, if something is stopping it from registering, if can pull the FW out of shape. Hopefully they didn't use the 60E snout on the converter intended for the curved FW and no spacer. If you ran a straight edge on the snout, and meas. to the pads, you get aprx. 1/4", that would be a short snout. Rem the bolts and see if you get space bet the FW pads and conv.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Took the torque converter bolts out and pushed converter back and had 1/8" gap between converter and flexplate pads which is normal right? Was also able to slide converter to flexplate without needing to use the bolts. I measured the gap on each side of the flexplate between the flexplate and bellhousing and also had about 1/8" until i rotated the engine and at some points couldn't get the drill bit in the gap so I think the issue is an out of round flexplate or spacer or something isn't lined up. I have a new flexplate and spacer coming in tomorrow and I will install them on Sunday and update this thread 
