Originally Posted by
Louey
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.