I did a search and couldn't find any useful info. I'm trying to get my car started after heads/cam/etc and I think I fugged up my starter. When I pulled it off again to check it, I noticed that the gear that matches to the flywheel is waaay inside the starter and probably isn't making contact with the flywheel at all. Also, there is a really rapid pop pop pop pop pop noise like electricity fireworks from under the car when I try to start it. My main question was does the gear posistioning matter a whole lot or do I have other starter issues? Sorry for the long thread

 

Two things:

1. The gear is way inside there because it doesn't make contact with the flywheel all of the time. It pops out to turn the flywheel when you start it, then pops back in once you quit cranking.

2. Check your starter wires and make sure the little purple(?) wire with the tab on it isn't grounding out. It's easy to get it out of position when you tighten it back up and it will attempt to fire the starter when you plug the battery back in.

Fix that wire and you should be all set.