g2_5point0

been having a chronic problem lately with my starter. the sucker is bolted into place perfectly, yet now an odd grinding sound is coming from it. i pull it out and see that the teeth are slowly getting chipped away. what could be the cause of this? going to buy another starter soon before the one i have just dies out

65mojoe

(if, as you said, the starter is being gapped "perfectly") some of the teeth are probably jacked up on the flywheel and its tearing up all the new starters you're putting on there.

g2_5point0

so, $50 will get me a new starter to attempt this again, or replace the flywheel and whatnot while im at it.. $500 or more maybe? tough choice. i think i'll try another starter, fit it appropriately (not sure how much better it can be fitted) and try again

65mojoe

If you think you're gapping the starter right, and the car is still chewing up starters then obviously there is something else wrong. I would take it somewhere and have the flywheel checked out. $50 starters are going to add up fast. How frequently are you putting on new ones?

g2_5point0

the other one i bought with the car lasted about 5 months, im guessing it was old by the looks of it. this new one, maybe a month or two? it'll start, but it sounds very awkward at times. sometimes its flawless, other times at the end of the start, it'll grind a bit and sometimes it just will skip all the teeth completely and buzz. lol [:@]

65mojoe

By what you JUST described there is NO DOUBT IN MY MIND NOW that it's the flywheel. You say that every now and then it will start flawlessly...what this means is you're getting lucky and your starter is cranking on a good section of the flywheel that still has good teeth. The rest of the time, it's probably trying to crank on a spot on the fly that is either missing teeth or has teeth that are badly damaged (thus the aweful grinding or zinging sound). I wouldn't waste any more money on a new starter (which by the way should last A LOT longer than 5 months!). Go get that flyhweel replaced!

g2_5point0

yeah, im just in denial =p this starter has way more teeth than the last one, yet it works worse, so it has to be the flywheel. sigh. atleast there's an excuse to get a new clutch, right?