The starter on my 82 Elky is starting to make a strange noise occasionally.

You all know the sound a starter makes when the car is already running and you forget and hit the starter again? Well, mine is starting to make that sound when the engine is NOT running. :cry:

Right now, it may only do it one out of every 25 times the car is started but I figure its gonna get worse with time.

What is the cause of this, bad starter drive, worn flywheel teeth, or something else? Time to think about a new starter?

I don't think it needs shims because it starts and sounds normal most of the time. Any ideas?

The Bendix drive is probably defective, but if the starter motor is old I would have it entirely rebuilt or buy a quality rebuilt. Watch out for the cheap "remanufactured" starters as the "remanufacturing" often consists of a minor repair and a coat of flat black paint. When I replaced my starter motor I used one of the high torque gear reduction starters which cost me more than a OEM but I don't have to ever worry about it again.

I agree with the above. I had an AutoZone special in my '67 that died whenever it got hot. I went to my local "metalurgical and vehicle recycling emporium" and got a trusted employee to find a good, used starter. $5.

Drop the starter and check the ring gear closely while you're there. you might have a couple bad teeth that only hit now and again.

That sound is a starter drive beginning to fail. If you are so inclined, you can replact the drive for about 6-7 bucks. If you do this, also replace the brushes (about $2), undercut the mica with a thinned down hack saw blade, and replace the bronze bushings in both ends of the starter (about $1). Starter motors themselves rarely fail. 98% of the time, it's the drive (Bendix) brushes, solenoid or it's big copper washer contact or the bushings at each end of the rotor.

If you decide to take it apart and replace the drive, use a sharp object and scratch two marks across the body at the brush end and drive end of the main housing so you can align the pieces when beginning reassembly. Also, turn the big copper contact disc over (main contact) in the solenoid along with the big copper bolt that connects to the positive battery cable. This gives you all new electrical contacts.

Years ago, when I was young and broke, I did that out of necessity. The first time my starter failed on my Caballero, I just bought an Auto Zone starter that had a lifetime guarantee. Over the years, I have replaced that sucker 4 times for FREE!!!! (They do finally fail).