What Is The Best Mini Starter?

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You have to loke at the noses get one that is solid, I have broken two off in the last year that were "ribbed" for lack of a better term, they were not solid all around where the gear would engage. Yes I do have a past mild 440 though and also find one thay has two studs for the wiring so you don't have to find a connector.
 
Just examples
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If your having serious clearance issue's and don't care about cost then I recommend the clockable RobbMc starter.
 
If your having serious clearance issue's and don't care about cost then I recommend the clockable RobbMc starter.

Very cool starter! Thanks for the info!
 
I've used the 440 Source starters for the past three project. Just put one on my 65 Chrysler. So far, so good.....
I don't have a good experience of these...they engage only half the width of the ring gear. Both the original BB starter, Powermaster Ultra Torque and the original Dodge Dakota type Nippon Denso engage the full width of the ring gear. They throw out the drive gear 5 millimeters more than the 440Source type starters and thus engage the full width of the ring gear.
Also comparing the internals the Dodge Dakota/Nippon Denso looks significantly more reliable that the cheap mini-starters. Be sure to get a real Nippon Denso if you get a new Dodge Dakota starter...here they handed over a low quality copy...
The motor housing of a real Nippon Denso is slightly longer than on the cheap copies, see the attached pic.

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Nippondenso mini off ram truck, dakota or ram van equipped with magnum 3.9,L/318/360. Its almost double the cranking hp of the older stock starters, half the size and weight. I believe these are exactly the same as the ones mopar performance wants a mega million dollars for.

Only thing that seems to fail over time is the solenoid contactor. Easy fix just take the solenoid cover off and clean or replace contact.

Got mine remanned thru evilbay for $39 shipped with no core exchange.
 
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Stupid question but reading this thread it sounds like regardless of big or small block manual or auto all starters are the same?

If Mopar denso yes they are the same. Beware cheap copies. The old original monster sized mopar starters i think were made by prestolite. There were 2 types. One was for slant 6, and small block. I believe it was 1.6 hp. The big block one was longer by about an inch and was 1.8 hp. The mopar mini denso i believe is 2.25 hp. All have a similar mating flange , and same bolt pattern.
 
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I had to make an adaptor piece to connect the mini denso to my repop battery cable and route it correctly to keep it away from the exhaust manifold. The fabricated piece is made of .063" stainless steel.

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Stupid question but reading this thread it sounds like regardless of big or small block manual or auto all starters are the same?


Depends on your definition of "same."

All gear drive original starters bolt up to all engines for which they were designed, that is, B/RB, small block, or slant. They don't fit some industrial engines, heavy trucks, or older flatheads

But there WERE changes over the years in the starters internally, and there are at least TWO major sizes in power ratings (torque) which can be seen, generally by looking at the length of the motor housing.

Again, I'm referring here to the original "wound field" starters.
 
I'm looking for the best recommended mini starter. One that fits the best and gives the most clearance. Also is an adjustable one a good option? Thanks for the help.
For anyone who is pulling their hair out looking for a Big Block RB mini starter, here is what you need with a 440, I went through this few weeks ago after installing TTI headers, I bought a new Dodge Dakota starter, yes it bolted up, however the positive terminal hits the block on a 440, you can shave it down but it doesn't leave you enough threads to bolt anything to it. I took the starter i had to a local re builder shop called MARS in DeKalb IL to figure out a solution, They ended up building me a new Denso starter with the terminal on the bottom, plenty of clearance, easy to mount the positive wire and signal wire. Call Mike at MARS 815-756-9019 Tell him you need a mini Denso starter for a Big Block 440 Chrysler just like the one he built for Jason Withers with the terminal on the bottom. He will be happy to build and ship one to you. They rebuild all of our starters and alt. at work too. He converted my Denso alt to a single wire. The cost of this new rebuilt starter was 120.00 well worth it. Yes its a mini high torque and it works perfect, I added two pics of the corrected rebuilt Denso mini starter (note the location of terminals) and the bottom pic is a stock Denso unit on a RB engine, you can clearly see the terminal issue I am pointing out. Also beware of the "new" starters from Napa and other stores as most of them are made in China, they are not actual Denso units.

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I never had any luck with the newer ram/dakota starters on my 440 also. I have been running a Powermaster and it has been great.
 
It would be interesting to understand what difficulties you had with the Dodge Dakota starter? Was it a real Nippon Denso or was it a cheap copy?

I've broken 2 of the cheap copies so far in my hi-compression 512. Now I'm installing a used Dodge Dakota/Nippon Denso to sort out eventual engine management problems before I install a brand new Powermaster. Please explain what happened to you with the Dodge Dakota starter.
 
I'm looking for the best recommended mini starter. One that fits the best and gives the most clearance. Also is an adjustable one a good option? Thanks for the help.

The best one is the cheapest one you can find at a junkyard. They came on no fewer than 100 late model Chrysler cars.
 
It would be interesting to understand what difficulties you had with the Dodge Dakota starter? Was it a real Nippon Denso or was it a cheap copy?

I've broken 2 of the cheap copies so far in my hi-compression 512. Now I'm installing a used Dodge Dakota/Nippon Denso to sort out eventual engine management problems before I install a brand new Powermaster. Please explain what happened to you with the Dodge Dakota starter.

The power terminals are too close to the block. I had two of them short out and the starter engaged on it's own. No problems since switching to a Powermaster.
 
I have an MSD starter. 440 with 11.5 to 1. Its been working without fail for two years. I have to agree with the other comments though. I had and old starter out of a 95 Ram van and compared them and the appeared to be identical except the MSD one has nice shiney red paint and an MSD decal on it. I don't remember how much it cost but I do remember is was well over $100. Buy the cheap one so you don't pay for the red paint. Try Rockauto.
 
Chris ValiantOne is selling nice adaptors that move the wire terminals on the mini denso to a better location for wiring them up.

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I never had any luck with the newer ram/dakota starters on my 440 also. I have been running a Powermaster and it has been great.



my powermaster lasted 2 years of occasional use and after one kickback the clutch started slipping then I put a cheap champion rebuilt on still working good .
 
I broke two noses off, but they were the ones with the slots in the nose. So far the solid nose one is holding up.
 
For the last 9-10 years, I have had the same mini starter (occasional use). I got it from a salvage yard and it is from a 2000 or so Dakota. It was built by Chrysler. No complaints so far.
 
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