flywheel/starter
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2012
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flywheel/starter
The top bolt of my starter was loose and allowing the starter to sag. The starter drive gear is probably about an inch long, and the outermost 1/8" has some wear due to the sag. Also, the flywheel has similar wear on the outermost edge. It seems to me that there is plenty of solid gear teeth on each part that I do not need to replace them both. Does anyone have any advice?
1970 F250 4x4
1970 F250 4x4
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,209
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From: Black Hills of SD
I've seen plenty of them that didn't get the top bolt put back in and they still worked. Your other bolts must have been loose too. I agree, drive it till it breaks. If you want to be safe, rebuilt starters are cheap and that might extend the life if the ring gear.
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2004
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When your flywheel is shot you will start burning through starters every couple thousand miles. If you're not having that issue then you're fine. When the flywheel teeth are gone the starter gear bounces off of of the remaining snaggle teeth and it destroys the gear. The first thing you'll notice when you're in this state is that every now and then when you turn the key, the starter will hesitate for just a split second before turning over. It just gets worse over time.
My truck gets 2-3000 miles a year on it and I was having to replace the starter every summer. I had a tranny leak and had to remove the trans to fix the leak so I put in a new flywheel while I was in there. When I start it now the sound is entirely different. It sounds like the engine is spinning at light speed and fires right up. No more long cranks.
My truck gets 2-3000 miles a year on it and I was having to replace the starter every summer. I had a tranny leak and had to remove the trans to fix the leak so I put in a new flywheel while I was in there. When I start it now the sound is entirely different. It sounds like the engine is spinning at light speed and fires right up. No more long cranks.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2011
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From: Kenner,La.
starter
Is your truck a standard or automatic. If it is a standard the thrust main bearing could be worn and the crankshaft is moving back and forth. One thing that I discovered on rebuilt starters, sometimes the starter drive gear is cut back to clean teeth. When I had my shop it got to a point where I would install a new drive on the rebuilt unit. If your flywheel has worn teeth you need all you can get.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2012
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Mine has a standard transmission, and always started right away... no long cranks. When I take the flywheel off to be resurfaced I'll seek the knowledge of the machinist doing the work.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,209
Likes: 12
From: Black Hills of SD
Engines tend to always come to rest in the same position so flywheels get a bad spot where the starter engages. If you pull the starter, you will most likely see this spot. I've had beater cars with the ring gear bad enough I had to get out and turn the engine with the fan to get on some cogs that would catch.
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,691
Likes: 6
You sure about this? Just about all of the teeth on my flywheel were shot. There was no single spot worse than any other.
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,691
Likes: 6
When you take the flywheel off you may as well put a new gear on it. They're cheap.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,209
Likes: 12
From: Black Hills of SD
Wear in one spot comes from lazy people who don't change a starter at first sign the starter drive is failing. Teeth wore off all the way around probably came from someone running a loose starter, or just a very high mileage flywheel. The engine does generally stop in the same position.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,209
Likes: 12
From: Black Hills of SD
It's just the way an engine comes to rest. I suppose due to the firing order and the last piston to come up on compression as the engine stops. But believe me, it does. Most bad ring gears just have one or maybe 2 places they are gummed off.