4.0 Starter Freewheeling

[Commitclothing]

So I pulled a bone head move and bumped my starter while the motor was spinning and lost a starter. Pulled the starter and took it in....it tested fine, but I replaced it anyways. I have an explorer 4.0 in front of an unknown 5 speed manual(BII or explorer, I havent checked the codes to see which one it is, Im assuming its the stock BII Trani). While the starter was out I spun the flywheel and it turned over the motor. Now with the starter in, the starter engages and spins, but no contact with the flywheel. I bench tested the starter and know for a fact it is engaging. The only discrepencie I could find was the thin metal gasket in between the starter and bellhousing...Mine is gone. It is still intact between the trani and motor, but around the starter it is missing. It is only about 1/16" thick, and my thoughts are that it is engaging the wheel that 1/16" deeper than it was before. Needless to say, the starter is spinning but not making contact with the flywheel, any ideas??

BTW. The flywheel looks to have about 1/2" of usable teeth on it, no chunking or anything bad......

 

[martin]

It initially sounds like a bad bendix, but if you changed the starter that should eliminate that possibility. The next thing that comes to mind is whether the new starter is a match for your mix and match motor/transmission. There is a difference between the manual and auto starters. All I can think of is measure the distance from the mounting face for the starter to the ring gear and then measure the distance on the starter from its mounting face to the bendix gear when it is fully extended. Then compare the two. post what you find.

 

[Big Jim M]

The starter is two parts. One part, the part that was checked, is the lectric motor which is working fine. The second part it the throwout gear. When the starter turns this gear moves outward and contacts the gears on the flywheel. The starter moter then spins the engine. When the lectric part works as yours does but the engine doesn't spin the problem is the throwout gear! It has sort of a clutch in it and you have burned or broken that part.
New throwout gears are available but most times the cost is prohibitive.. It is usually about the same price for another complete starter.
Big JIm

Ps Then I reread your post and see you have a new starter... Ya got the wrong one!

 

[Commitclothing]

So, got a new starter, pretty much just for fun, but to eliminate any possibility that the bendix was bad in starter #1. I bought a starter for a 91-94 explorer 4.0, which my motor is. I'm running an FM146 behind that, which I know didn't come in the 91-94 explorers. Obviously this would make one think to get the starter for a 2.9 vehicle with the FM146, but doesn't that seem to be stepping backwards? Would the 2.9 starter even turn over the 4.0?

 

[countryboy]

u need a 4.0 starter 2.9 won't work unless u have the flywheel from a 2.9 and not a 4.0 what flywheel did you use

 

[Commitclothing]

That's what I thought....the 4.0 was already in and bolted when I bought the truck. Always assumed it had the M5OD until yesterday. So, I have no idea what flywheel is in it.

 

[countryboy]

i would say that with ur situation u got urself a 2.9 flywheel. thus this would explain why the 4.0 starter won't touch the flywheel. a 2.9 flywheel isn't as big as a 4.0 flywheel.