My starter sounds like it’s on its way out again which will be the fourth starter in 360 hrs. The first replacement was a marine starter then the next two where Napa Gold lifetime replacements starters. Can’t imagine this being a normal starter life in a marine environment but don’t know what to look for. I usually don’t turn off the motor thinking frequent restarts during water sports had something to do with it but it doesn’t seem to matter. Any suggestion?

What kind of engine?

It sounds like it could be an alignment issue also.

Wannabe

What is the failure, motor burnt up drawing to many amps, or mechanical failure such as nose cone broken / cracked or bendix not catching the flywheel properly??

What he asked, what engine??

The original starter & first marine replacement starter was for a 1995 7.4L OMC. The Napa Gold starters were for a 1996 Chevy 2500 7.4L. The motor has since been converted to a merc using a 1996 merc wire harness with the TBV ignition. The original starter had shims & I used the shims on the marine starter replacement as well but not the last two Napa starters. . All starters seem to make a grinding noise when they start to go out like they are not fully engaging & grinding against the teeth on the flywheel. I also had to replace the starter ring on the flywheel after the marine starter failed.

You should not have to shim if the mounting bolts are metric. Make sure you are using actual starter bolts. Not just any bolt from a hardware store. Also be careful where you buy the ring gear. Use GM only. Lots of Chinese garbage out there.

Looking @ my receipt I see this NAPA starter lasted 3yrs & the one before that last almost 2yrs. For comparison my truck starter hasn’t been replaced since 2004 or atleast 140k miles?

Sounds like more of an alignment issue more then anything, I was going to try & get u into a better Bosch or Denso Starter. Seems i never have good luck with aftermarket crap.

check also for bent screws that are holding starter and check ignition timing

Got a new starter. How do I check alignment?