Very rarely have to shim a starter. If there is excessive noise or a disengagement problem it will need to be shimmed.
between starter housing & block
No there is not a shim between the starter and the bolt holder unless someone has put the wrong starter on and had to rig it up to make it engage properly.
You shim the starter motor if there is inadequate clearance between the starter drive and the ring gear. You can check the clearance by prying the starter drive out to the ring gear with a screwdriver to see if the gears mesh properly.
disconnect battery. from underneath disconnect solenoid wire and battery cable from starter solenoid. remove starter motor bolts. remove starter motor. installation is the reverse but be sure to place the starter shim between the starter motor and the engine or you will get noise during starts.
disconnect the negative battery cable. raise the vehicle. remove the 2 electrical connectors on the starter solenoid. remove the 2 bolts holding the starter in noting the position of the starter shim if equipped with one. remove starter from vehicle. installation is the reverse. You will have to remove the exhaust cross over pipes first.
disconnect battery. from underneath disconnect battery and solenoid wires from the starter.remove starter motor bolts and note the position of the spacer shims. installation is the reverse making sure to replace the shim in the same position if so equiped.
first unhook battery then unbolt wires ontop of starter should be one big wire with one large brass nut and two small wires held by one small nut then safely jack vehicule and remove two long bolts holding starter up and snake it out dont loose the shime between starter and block youll need it install is reverse to put the shim in put long bolt through starter hole then round hole in shim then tred it a litte in then put other bolt in through slot in shim you might have to wiggle it a little make shure its in ps:hole in shim goes on passenger side tighten everything up!!!
disconnect the negative side of the battery. raise car and from underneath, disconnect the solenoid wire and battery cabble from the starter motor solenoid,remove the 2 starter motor boltsremove the starter and note the position of the starter shim if equipped. some cars don't have it. installation is the reverse.
Every application is different. Some use shims and others use no shims.
starter gear is to close to flywheel install starter shim
If you are changing the starter I would not shim it right away.Shims are used only when the starter SOUNDS tight. 9 times out of 10 shims are not needed. If the new starter sounds tight ( binding due to tight ring gear to bendix gear) then use one shim at a time to free it up. Even if the old starter had shims, the new one may not. I hope this helps you. Mark you can go to the auto store and buy shims slide em in and tighten it back down