93 ranger starter issue

[moto278]

short story. a couple months ago I bought my 93 ford ranger. 2.3L 5speed manual, rwd. has either 82K miles or 182K. very clean so assume probably not more than that but the OD only has 5 digits. anyway, roughly 1 month ago my starter went out, so I pulled it off to replace. the gear inside the housing had shattered. not stripped the teeth, not broken 1 or 2 teeth, I pulled out pieces of the teeth and gear itself. flywheel looked fine. installed a new starter and things were good. this morning, cold morning temp (-16*F, was parked outside as usual) and tried normal starting a few times, but then turn to try again and it was the grinding followed by clunking. stopped and went to work. tonight I pulled it off and yup, same problem, the gear inside the starter housing has broken. before buying a new starter and installing it, does anyone have any input as to what could cause this? thanks in advance!

 

[XLTsplash]

If it happened both times when it was very cold, you can try adding a block heater. What weight oil are you running ? The auto parts store should warranty your starter for you.

 

[moto278]

I believe I did 10/30 oil. and yes, they will warranty the starter. my mechanic thinks it could be a bent flywheel. the first time it was not below zero so the cold temps I don't think are an issue. the only thing I think the temps effect are my battery as its rated at 650CCA, which is aweful. im getting a better battery as well. ill be crawling under tomorrow to try and see if I can see any bent teeth or warped flywheel.
are there any shims on a 93 2.3L? the threads I went through regarding starters seem to be for later models from the 80's. thanks for the help guys! glad to be on this forum

 

[XLTsplash]

I was just thinking with the very cold temps the oil is thicker and makes it harder to turn the engine over and pump the cold thicker oil. 5w30 would be a good oil for the low temps your Ranger is in. The flywheel itself is thick cast iron. The clutch surface can get uneven wear and cause clutch chatter. The ring gear is pressed onto the flywheel and can be replaced or flipped over on the flywheel if it's worn or damaged. Just heat up the ring gear and lift it off when it's hot. When it cools it will be tight on the flywheel again. I've never seen shims used or needed on a 2.3L starter. I would start by inspecting every tooth on the ring gear, even if you just had one piece of metal stuck in the teeth from the old broken gear it can be putting pressure on the new gear.

 

[tomw]

I would get a magnetic mount and a dial indicator. Mount and then rotate the flywheel through at least 1 complete turn. If warped, you know what to do. Also check for broken teeth or stuff between the teeth that could bind and break the starter gear as suggested.
I know of no shims required for proper installation.
tom

 

[moto278]

It took a while! But the flywheel had broken teeth so it got replaced. Did a few other things and runs great now!