someotherguy
Truly Awesome
Lots of great info here. A few more tidbits to add is that just because a truck had a Vortec engine does not mean it came with the mini starter. There are some of what I call a "mid size" starter which is still the large style but with a slightly shorter case than the old full size starters.
The mini is where it's at, whether you have a TBI or Vortec. As mentioned they did start appearing during the truck TBI era; right around 1994. I've seen some TBI-equipped cars older than that come with the mini, as well.
The mini is a higher torque starter and achieves that through gear reduction. They're tough little units. People used to shy away from them years back because when they went bad, they cost a lot more to rebuild, compared to the previous style. Now that they're far more common and parts are too, there's no cost barrier to worry about. You can buy a brand new (chinese) OEM style mini for like $50. Or the local starter shop (if one still exists near you) can rebuild your OEM mini for a very reasonable cost - far preferred to using an offshore copy.
The bolt size difference is CRITICAL. You must use the correct length starter bolts, and do not substitute anything else in their place. Most of you know but for the ones that don't, that crosshatched shoulder area on the bolt is what helps locate the starter in place on the block, without it in good shape and in the correct place (no using washers, spacers, etc. in order to use the wrong length bolts) the starter will move around under operation and disaster will strike. Broken starter nosecone, broken bolts, and even cracked blocks around the starter bolts. Seen all of it.
Richard
The mini is where it's at, whether you have a TBI or Vortec. As mentioned they did start appearing during the truck TBI era; right around 1994. I've seen some TBI-equipped cars older than that come with the mini, as well.
The mini is a higher torque starter and achieves that through gear reduction. They're tough little units. People used to shy away from them years back because when they went bad, they cost a lot more to rebuild, compared to the previous style. Now that they're far more common and parts are too, there's no cost barrier to worry about. You can buy a brand new (chinese) OEM style mini for like $50. Or the local starter shop (if one still exists near you) can rebuild your OEM mini for a very reasonable cost - far preferred to using an offshore copy.
The bolt size difference is CRITICAL. You must use the correct length starter bolts, and do not substitute anything else in their place. Most of you know but for the ones that don't, that crosshatched shoulder area on the bolt is what helps locate the starter in place on the block, without it in good shape and in the correct place (no using washers, spacers, etc. in order to use the wrong length bolts) the starter will move around under operation and disaster will strike. Broken starter nosecone, broken bolts, and even cracked blocks around the starter bolts. Seen all of it.
Richard
