For 1990-2009 cars

Caution: Keep fingers, tools, and any other objects away from the opening in the drive end housing while making electrical connections. The strong shifting action of the starter solenoid can cause severe personal injury or damage to components as the drive pinion moves into the cranking position.

1. Put the starter motor in a vise.
2. Insulate the starter solenoid field lead from the solenoid.
3. Connect a 12 volt positive battery lead to the starter solenoid S terminal.
4. Connect the negative battery lead to a clean ground on the starter motor housing.
5. Momentarily ground the solenoid S terminal to the housing. This energizes the solenoid pull-in coil and causes the drive pinion to move into cranking position. The drive pinion will stay in this position when the momentary ground is removed.
6. Press on the drive enough in order to take up any free movement of the drive on the shaft.
7. Inspect the clearance between the drive and the drive stop collar using feeler gages. The drive-to-drive stop collar clearance should be 0.25-0.43 mm (0.01-0.16 in).
8. Disconnect the negative battery lead from the housing.
9. Disconnect the positive battery lead from the S terminal.
10. If the clearance is outside of the specifications, inspect the starter motor for worn or damaged parts in the shift lever and the drive. Repair or replace the parts as needed.