starter not touching flywheel, suuucks

[rim_bender]

Ok, we just put in a S13 SR in a friends S14 chassis. I have done plenty of motor swaps before so i know my fair share, but this problem is a killer.

Here is the issue. When we first tried to crank the motor the starter spun but wasn't turning the motor. His motor set didnt come with the plate in between the tranny and motor so i thought it was a spacing problem. I pulled the starter off and added some thin washers in between to account for the small space missing. Went to start the motor and it fired right up. Then we drive the car for a few hours and we started it probably 10+ times with no issues. Then one random time it started doing the issue again, then it went back to being fine and starting like normal. Now its just back to square one, the starter will spin but not hit the flywheel and turn the motor.

We have swapped starters with known good ones and they do the same thing.

ANY IDEAS?? This is so frustrating?

[rim_bender]

We even kept the starter a little loose also only had one bolt int he starter so while cranking i could move it back and forth. No luck still.

[HATchTRICK]

We even kept the starter a little loose also only had one bolt int he starter so while cranking i could move it back and forth. No luck still.

This may sounds stupid...but remove the starter and see if it in engages the wheel, or just spins without poping out.

[PoorMans180SX]

Could be your pull-in/ hold-in winding is bad.

In that case you would need a new starter.

[brndck]

This may sounds stupid...but remove the starter and see if it in engages the wheel, or just spins without poping out.
exactly what i was thinking. alot of times the solenoid that pushes the gear out to engage the flywheel goes bad, so the gear will just spin, but not push out to engage the flywheel teeth.

[PoorMans180SX]

yeah, that's what I said.

[rim_bender]

ya, thought that too. Took the starter to a rebuild place, he said it was perfect.

Also, we pulled a starter off a running SR swapped car and the same thing happened.

[Goldeneye9mm]

only othere thing it could be is the flywheel. did you use the right one? did you seperate the motor and trans befors you swapped it? it could have been an exsisting problem in the doner car. maybe a broke flywheel or some chipped teeth. check into it.

[rim_bender]

only othere thing it could be is the flywheel. did you use the right one? did you seperate the motor and trans befors you swapped it? it could have been an exsisting problem in the doner car. maybe a broke flywheel or some chipped teeth. check into it.


We installed a new Exedy flywheel when we installed the motor. Also when we puled the starter one time i looked in the hole and also turned the motor by hand and the flywheel looks fine.

And the weird thing is the car started a dozen times then went back to this.

[mrmephistopheles]

you need the spacing plate.

[rim_bender]

you need the spacing plate.

can you elaborate more?

as in why? because i used some washers to simulate that and it didn't do anything. And the gear that pops out the starter has splines on it for several inches, i doubt it is possible for the starter to overshoot the flywheel.

[kernel]

The same thing happened to my friend. We put some spacers and it worked for a few starts but not everytime.

Even if you simulate the spacing plate with washers, it don't have the same width.

When we installed the spacing plate, everything worked fine after.

I highly suggest you to get that plate.

[TheWolf]

it's called a bendix... your starters suk.. get new ones installed.. local shop in jax charges $120 to basically rebuild your sr starter like new... problem solved.

[rim_bender]

it's called a bendix... your starters suk.. get new ones installed.. local shop in jax charges $120 to basically rebuild your sr starter like new... problem solved.

above i have said the starter was checked out, its good, i have tried using starters off running sr cars. Same thing happens.

[Goldeneye9mm]

have you checked all your wirers? may be a bad groung not allowing enought juice to get to your starter. tested out of the car it would work fine in your car it would fall short. other than that your car is a freak. good luck