Rebuilt my son's 383HP engine last year. Started the engine the first time last Nov. It started promptly, but the starter made a screeching noise right after the engine started. Finally had time to look into it last week. Removed the starter. The ring gear teeth(brand new when rebuilt engine)and the starter teeth(about 2 yr.old re-manufactured from parts store) looked fine, also. It did "appear" that the starter teeth were going 3/4ths the way into the ring gear teeth. There was a little play in the shaft that holds the engagement sprocket, so I got a new re-man. starter. Started the car 6 times during a 24 hr. period with the same screeching sound at the end of each start. When I tried to start it again, the starter just clicked. My theory is the engine starts so fast the starter doesn't have time to back out of the ring gear and the engine gives the starter a hard spin. Another bit of info. is that the bell housing was resurfaced, thus possibly bringing the starter in closer to the flywheel. Debating whether to place two(2) dust covers between the starter and bell housing. What are your opinions on this? Is a standard re-man. starter good enough to handle a tight,high compression engine?

how much was milled & I dont see a prob with spacing the starter back that amt

" My theory is the engine starts so fast the starter doesn't have time to back out of the ring gear and the engine gives the starter a hard spin."

No, it would just (and does) spin at the same speed as the engine and then retract.

RapidRobert....The shop machinist could not recall how much he milled off the bell housing.

mikemeel1331....How far should the starter gear go into the ring gear teeth? I've always thought it was only about 1/2 way. I'm also wondering why the new re-man. starter failed so quickly. Could alignment be off so much to wedge the starter teeth (and shaft) to cause damage in the starter internals? Something is making the starter squeal like a pig!

first thing I'd do is set the starter on the ground next to the dr front wheel & clamp both small/large terminals together with one of the red jumper cable ends then an end of the black cable to the starter case ear then other black end to batt neg & final red cable end connection to batt positive post with your foot on the starter (grab a helper as needed) see if the starter squeals like a pig (some are noisy/bendix needs lubed). make the last cable connection to the batt rather than to the starter so the sparks dont [censored] up the delicate starter threads. this'll at least get you started as to whether it is a starter or a fitment prob or a combo of both. Ain't sure how much tooth engagement is kosher but I'm thinking more than 1/2. make sure the red cable on the starter does not touch or come close to the starter case as it will jump a bit even with good foot pressure

If the bell was resurfaced the starter is still on the same plane as where it is bolted to the block. The starters relationship should be near the same. At the back of the starter where it sets into the hole would be a little closer to the back of the block.
Sounds more to me like maybe you need to look into a set of offset dowels and align the bell off of the flywheel hub... (starter too tight against the ring gear on the flywheel)

First that is assuming that the guy that machined the bellhousing did it correctly .

Why was the bellhousing resurfaced ?

Good point on the bellhousing dailed in but it would have to be pretty far off ?

As far as the starter failing so quickly , just because it's rebuilt doesn't mean it was done correctly, everything is done in relation to the bottom line , they only replace what absolutely needs it . Take it back and get another .

skicker & JohnRR....The shop did use offset dowels to obtain proper transmission (4 speed) alignment. However, I really had a hard time slipping the trans. into place when I put everything together. I put two guide pins in the bottom two bell housing holes and bolts in the two top holes. Then, I tightened the bolts to pull the trans. into place. It would NOT slip into place by hand. I have no idea why the shop resurfaced the bell housing???? I'm wondering about your statement of the starter too tight against the ring gear being very possible! If that is the problem, how do I remedy it? Another point I noticed was the space between the starter gear and the ring gear is </= 1/8th inch (at rest position).

What bellhousing was in the car ?

As far as having a hard time getting the trans in , that is usually caused by clutch disc misalignment, whenever I've had a trans that would go in that last bit releasing the clutch a little is always enough to get the trans to slide right in.

Have you tried a mini starter ?

Or it might be time to take some material off the locating snout , if the starter has one , to allow you to slide it to the left a tad ?

JohnRR....The bell housing is cast #2892513 w/ 05102 below that number. Have not tried a mini starter. If I removed some material off the snout would that actually let it shift left? (do I remove material off the back of the snout or off the shoulder of the round edge at the very tip?) I guess the two holes on the starter are larger than the bolt diameter, so it would, right? Removed the starter, today. I did notice a trace of filings on each tooth of the starter sprocket. The edges of the new ring gear are extremely sharp from the factory and this is where the filings are coming from. This is probably a stupid question, but are the teeth grooves of the ring gear straight or are they tapered? They appear straight, but I was just wondering if a ring gear can be put on backwards, which would make a very tight fit with the starter teeth.

The bellhousing locating hole is round , the snout is round , you trying to move it sideways, not deeper, so you need to make the DIAMETER of the snount ssmaller.

If it was me I would pull the trans and check the run out of the bell to the crank to confirm what the shop did.

Did you check to see if the bell mating surface is parallel with the block? The book gives tolerances.

Have you checked the starter relay? I had an issue with one and the symptoms sound similar. The relay would hang up and keep the starter engaged for a few seconds. Went through two starters before I figured that out.

Well, I want to update everyone on the starter problem. First, I want to thank all the Moparts members for the help and as always, greatly appreciated. The problem is solved and this is everything I did. I obtained a new reman. starter. I removed a very small amount of metal off the tip and the three ribs of the snout of the starter. I applied some high temp grease at the tip of the snout(for the end of the shaft). Applied assembly lube to the teeth, washers and shaft of the starter. Installed two (2) dust covers between the starter and the bell housing. Starts like a typical Mopar now without the pig squeal!