Quote Originally Posted by Louey View Post
With the so called rebuilt starters from the parts store, you have to check the starter end play. If it clunks back and forth, they did not shim the end play correctly. So when you engage the starter, the armature moves back, and you get a weak engagement. If the metal plate is left off, all that will do is allow the starter to engage deeper into the ring gear teeth. You need to also check with the cover off, and see what the total engagement is. Hope this helps a little.
The real purpose of the metal plate on Fords is to index the starter the correct distance from the crank centerline. If it is not in place, or is damaged so that the starter won't fit in straight and snug, the starter will not be located properly. Some folks call these plates a shim or torque plate also. But they actually were meant to locate the starter. If you inspect closely the original bolts Ford used to bolt in the starter, you'll notice they don't "fill" the hole like a "normal" bolt. These bolts were meant to allow some alignment space under the washer. And yes. always check the length of the starter drive to ensure complete engagment. Hope it helps.