Have a question...i have a 1984 bronco II with the 2.8 with a manual transmission.when i rebuilt the motor i bought a new starter for it (figured i would put a new one on since i freshly rebuilt the motor)When i put the new starter on, it ate the flywheel up.The guy at the parts house said the starter i bought was a direct replacement for the old one.Here's the question..is there two different starters for a manual tranny and a automatic??Know the place where i'm ordering the flywheel says something about the manual flywheel only fits 2.8 bronco IIs with the letter "S" on the vin sheet.Any help would b greatly appreciated.

 

i had this same problem with my 84 2.8 also . i ended up puting ring gear flush with fly wheel and shimmd starter with washers its held up for three years so far. that might help.

 

The nose is different on a lot of Ford starters. The auto use one nose and the manuals another. Compare the noses of the two.

 

First I don't know the answere for sure. But I do have some info to add. The early (83-84 4x4) TK transmissions had an external slave cylinder. The later (85-87) internal slave tk is able to use the 4.0 larger clutch and flywheel. Starters are listed the same for the std. and auto BII at the auto parts store I use. C-5, A4LD, internal slave TK, FM, and M5OD all use the same starter. But the BII was only made 84-90. Could be they just don't list the one year different starter. Might try another auto parts store like NAPA for a 83 Ranger starter and see if a different starter is available. Or check with Ford and see if they list a different starter. Worth a couple of phone calls I would think.

Other options would be if you still have your original starter or could find a used one to have it rebuilt by a rebuilder. Might be able to just change noses as was suggested. If the fly wheel needs a new ring gear might check and see if an 85 flywheel will work with the new starter.

Just some ideas to consider. Good luck. Let us know what you find out.