Hey Everyone, was looking for updates on starter problem. My sons 90 Ranger w/ 4.0 is on its 4th starter in 4 months time. This last one was a actual Ford dealer item($180) and lasted maybe 2 weeks. I read some folks suspected the flywheels worn teeth as wearing out the starters, but never saw any majority on the opinion. Battery is fairly new and cables are too. Mileage is 230K +. He's been suffering the nasty grinding noise when starter engages but no other probs. I would like to confirm whatever the problem is before diving in. Appreciate anyones inputs. Thanks,

 

Four starters in four months along with the grinding symptoms sounds a little suspicious to me. I would like to think that you are on the right track in suspecting flywheel problems. Take the starter off and look in the hole. You should be able to see the flywheel teeth. If they are damaged, it should be quite obvious. When you shut an engine down (not stall it, but shut it off) the engine will coast to a stop in, more or less the same spot. That means that the starter will engage the flywheel in, more or less the same spot. Over time, those teeth get worn and/or broken. Then the starter can’t engage them and it sits there and grinds. Try turning the engine over manually just a little bit first and see if it makes any difference when you start it. By doing this, you would be moving the flywheel to a spot with undamaged teeth. (If you have a standard, you can push the truck by hand forward or backwards a few inches while it is in one of the higher gears. If you have an automatic, you can turn it over with a breaker bar and socket on the front of the crankshaft.) Either the engine or transmission has to come out to replace the flywheel, there is no short cut here. I am not sure if flywheels still have a replaceable ring gear like they all used to or not, but in any event, it has to come off anyway. Good luck, Dan

 

Hi Dan, appreciate the input. While my son was out this evening I did pull the starter and turned the engine over a couple of times and looked for flat spots on the flywheel, ...no missing teeth, just wore out teeth all the way around. And, enough shavings in the housing bottom to fill a rust hole. Not really what I was hoping for, but none the less, it looks like decision time. I guess the flywheel being wore out like it was, had me baffled because with any of my vehicles, I've never had a flywheel wear out like that, of course I've never had one with as many miles(275K+). Even my '63 hasnt given any type of this problem. Ok, enough rambling. Thanks again,