Re: The Starter/Flywheel Riddle (cont.) (archive)

In the past, I've had several times when my starter has made grinding noises, some went away, and some got worse. Now, I have to try and start it 5-10 time (with the resulting obnoxious metal grinding the first 4-9 times, the last time catching and starting...)
So, the archives and other experts say it's the flywheel.
However, once the starter does engage, it works perfectly, turning the motor over as many times as need until is starts. I would think that if there were broken or missing teeth it would miss at least once per revolution.
An examination of the flywheel through the hole that the starter came out of shows no broken teeth (but could the teeth all be worn evenly?)
And, if I put a wrench on the front of the crankshaft and turn the motor to a different spot, in theory finding a different and better place on the flywheel, this seems to have no effect - it grinds a few times and then works normally.
Any guidance or thoughts would be appreciated. I'm going to pull the tranny in the morning if I don't get a better idea between now and then.
-David

When I replaced the tranny in my L7 I noticed the flywheel had some damage to about 6 teeth, but the damage was limited to only one half of the tooth width. Suspecting this might not be enough to cause a problem I did nothing about it. Turns out that is enough for it to make those awful grinding noises on occasion. From my experience with other cars, the damage is caused by the starter coming loose, or someone having not installed it correctly at some point in the past. If you only saw the back side of the flywheel you may not be able to see any damage. You'll have to pull the starter or someting else to get a look at the front. But if you want to get rid of the noise your going to have to replace the flywheel.
Mark
535 & L7

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