Sup guys.. I been havin this weird issue for a long time now that when I try to start the car, before it will catch, I have to listen to some seriose disgusting sounds. I don't really know how to explain the sound but sounds something like "Cchhheeeeessshhh". Almost as if theres an electrical war going on under the bay, or a warp rift stabalizing and transporting my VE in from another dimension The sound can be quite embarrasing, and I think it started to happen the day after I was practicing how to drive the manual tranny and downshifted incorrectly for the revs to jump into the red for a second What I think happened is I must have broke off one of the teeth on the flywheel or somethin like that where it only catches at certain points, cause sometimes it would catch right away. It was fine like that for awhile except now I have to sit there for sometimes a minute or more hearing the starter just spinning freely before I get the disturbing sound, and even after I get the sound I have to wait awhile before she fires up. I know it can't be the starter, right? Gotta get it tested to be sure. So anyway, I searched around a bit and found people with similar issues, and some thought it was the flywheel and others put it on the coils. One said something was up with his fuel pump, but either way there never seemed to be a solution. Im already getting a bit nervous cause who knows, it may decide not to start one day cause its getting worse and worse. But also really not in the mood to drop that tranny right after an axle job, before being sure whats up. Thanks guys.

 

The teeth on the manual flywheel are pretty durable,i doubt it would be that.. So i would say the starter is going bad....

 

Well if you need another Ve flywheel............... I of course have one

You should really try to keep the "War and Peace" descriptions out of the detail of the problem. I barely read though this post.

But it sounds like the bendix spring in the starter isn't pushing the gear out far enough and only partially engages.

Not sure how overreving, a fuel pump or coils have to do with the flywheel or starter though.

Then again, it only take like 3 seconds to take off a VE starter and check it and the flywheel. Manual VE's anyway

 

my last starter sounded scary. it sounded like it was grinding the flywheel before it caught. but it was the actual starter. when i replaced it .... the positive terminal was really loose, more like completely cooked. like jeff said, the starter wouldnt push the gear far enough to engage right away. i had enough when it sounded like the starter was grinding for 5+ seconds before it actually caught. the price for a new starter is worth the sound of a normal starting vechicle once again

 

I would guess its probably the starter.. Theres a one way bearing in the starter that if that goes out... it doesnt throw the gear over corectly and it grinds.... i had the same situation as you, thought it was the Ring gear on the flywheel when it was really the starter. might want to look into that

 

if the starter isnt catching the flywheel correctly, it might have screwed it up a tad bit..... be ready to buy a new flywheel just in case...

 

have you checked to see if your bolts attatching the starter have not come loose? i have had that happen, making it hard for the starter to engage

 

Thanks alot guys.. You were all right on the money. I never really had any experiences with a starter before, which can account of my misdirected assumptions on the whole thing. Seems my "issue" was more common then I thought. The old starter seemed to be original. Looked really old and rusted. The pinion gear teeth were a bit messed up which probably were causing the problem. I really do hope the flywheel wasn't damaged. When I took a peak at the flywheel teeth, they seemed fine, but I only realized that I could have checked them all after installing the starter.

Anyway, I installed a rebuilt one from(Duralast I think) from AZ. So if the flywheel teeth are messed up a bit, which I doubt, but if they are even a little, it could ruin the starter all over again?