65 pan starter trouble

[Pigpen]

The starter pinion gear blew up in our 65 so I installed a new heavy duty gear. When we run the starter it sounds like a herd of goats running across a tin roof. I made sure everything was lined up right, checked the bearing in the outer primary and tried a thicker thrust washer. No improvement. It seems like the teeth aren’t meshing smoothly but I’m not sure. The solenoid is wired with 14 ga from the starter relay (an upgrade), and is strong but sometimes I just get a click when I hit the starter button. When I remove the primary cover the gears are jammed. I had this clicking problem with the old pinion gear. Solenoid tests good and battery is fully charged. Cables to the starter are new heavy duty cables. I would like to get rid of the noise and solve the jamming. What should I try next?

[Bigincher]

I don't know what you should try next, but a thicker thrust washer will cause less engagement of the starter pinion gear onto the ring gear. I'm not saying what you have isn't right, sometimes a thicker thrust washer is needed to prevent binding and overrun of the pinion onto the ring. And sometimes a thinner one is needed to allow the pinion to more fully engage the ring gear. The only time you should change the thickness of the thrust washer is if you change outer primary cover.

[Pigpen]

Bigincher. You got my wife and me talking about thrust washers and spacers. She suggested we try a thin washer between the pinion gear and the end nut to compensate for the difference between the new and old pinion gear spacing. This moved the pinion collar away from the clutch basket by .20. The amount of clatter decreased. Then we pulled the clutch basket to get a better look at things and the collar on the pinion gear was rubbing on the rivets that hold the 3 piece ring gear together. Now that we have identified the source of the noise and interference, I’m sure we can solve this problem.
Thanks for making us think harder about thrust washers and spacers.

[Bigincher]

Glad to know you're on the right track. You got photos? I bet this will help someone else in the future...

[Paps]

As for the noise problem, which sounds like poor engagement, inspect the inside edges of the ring gear teeth. They always look great on the outside and can fool one into thinking the gear is good. As for the clicking, poor continuity via connections and or grounds. Binding starter gear lever could be adding to the problem. Check it's pivot and fingers. Paps