I have some starter problems.... Can I get a little help?

[gatlin04]

I bought a 1991 V6 2.9L 4x4 Short Bed Ranger at an auction last saturday..... it started right up and i began to drive home. All of a sudden i hear a grinding noise, so i pull over and turn the truck off. Apparently, the owner before me put only 1 (thats ONE) bolt into the starter... therefore shearing the casting off of the starter at the other bolt. I bought a new starter... but it wasnt grabbing the flywheel for some reason. I tried shims... and that didnt work. I tried a different starter with bigger gear on it. Still wasnt grabbing enough to turn it over. I know for a fact that the motor IS NOT locked up.
I did some research, and i found out that the Ranger was originally a 4cyl manual... and now it is a V6 automatic. 91 automatic and manual rangers have the same starter.
What i am thinking is that the engine and trans is possibly from a different year... but how can i tell? I have heard that i can tell what it actually came from by finding the serial number/identification number on the motor or trans...... WHERE IS THAT AT?
I am just hoping that by finding this number, i can find out what this came from and get the correct starter....

 

[low_five]

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/AutoTrans.html

 

[gatlin04]

Ok, so i spoke to a dealer and they said that my engine/transmission were from a 1987 Ranger and that the starter was different from the 1991 (which i had already tried). I went to Oreilly's and they said that there was NO difference in starters... Is there ANYTHING that i can do??? I am really pissed off about the entire situation.....
Seriously i need some major help now... If anyone has the slightest of idea... please send it my way....

 

[Earl43P]

Do you still have the broken starter?

Match it up with one at the parts store.

Some of those guys can be cooperative when they aren't busy.....

 

[gatlin04]

well, thats the thing... i gave them the old starter for the core charge.... The day after i exchanged it in, it was already sent off.

 

[dennis461]

83-91

83-91 is the same acording to http://www.partsamerica.com
92 up is different.
Go to the web site and use it to see pictures of the two types.

 

[gatlin04]

ok, i am going to try the 1992 starter today....
I will update tonight!

 

[gatlin04]

the 1992 starter didnt work..... ARGGGGG.....
I think that i am just going to drop the transmission and get a good look at the flywheel.... maybe it is loose... maybe it is on backwards... maybe the teeth are in worse shape than i thought.... maybe it is...?

 

[dennis461]

don't drop it yet

the 1992 starter didnt work..... ARGGGGG.....
I think that i am just going to drop the transmission and get a good look at the flywheel.... maybe it is loose... maybe it is on backwards... maybe the teeth are in worse shape than i thought.... maybe it is...?

don't drop it yet.
You should be able to look inside the hole where the starter gear goes and see if there are any teeth on the flywheel.
If the teeth are worn out, turn the engine over a little by hand (go same direction it normally runs) and then look in the hole again.

If you see teeth this time, you have a bad spot on the flywheel.

If all the teeth are on there, just looking won't be enough.
Some accurate measurements will be in order.

 

[gatlin04]

I was able to turn the flywheel pretty freely going clockwise (if looking at motor from the grill of truck), but it was a little tougher to turn the opposite way. IS that normal? Which way does it run?
The teeth look good enough to still use the flywheel. The tips of the teeth are not ground, but the front of the flywheel is in some spots. Its like the starter isnt going inside the teeth on the flywheel.

 

[Psychopete]

Which way does it run?

Clockwise from the front grill of the truck is correct.

Pete

 

[gatlin04]

is there anything else that would make the starter not grab the teeth on the flywheel correctly? I will try to take a picture of the damage that was done to the flywheel and post it here shortly.

 

[doorgunner]

Finding the right starter with clotheshanger wire!

Measure the distance from the BACK (the side you'd have to reach behind with your fingers to touch it) SIDE of the flywheel teeth to the flat area that the starter sits against. Write down the measurement. Then measure your starter from the flat area where it would sit against the engine. Take a screwdriver and push the startergear forward as far as it will go(like when you bench test the starter and you make the starter gear engage. The starter gear teeth should "reach out" as much or more as the first measurement you took in the starter hole on the engine. That will let you know if the starter-gear teeth will engage the flywheel gear-teeth before you go to the trouble of installing it. NOW FOR THE LAST PROBLEM: Is the starter gear-teeth close enough to the flywheel teeth for them to engage each other so that the engine will turn over? First, take a STRAIGHT piece if clothes-hanger wire about 8" long and put it in the starter hole between the teeth on the flywheel with the wire pointing straight out of the hole. Try and choose the flywheel teeth that will let the wire be at the center of the starter hole! Measure the distance from the wire to the side of the starter hole. Write the measurement down. Now place the wire between the STARTER GEAR-TEETH so that it is sticking straight out. Measure the distance from the wire to the round raised area on the face of the STARTER that centers it on the starter hole in the engine. Write down that measurement. These last two measurements shoud be almost identical. I know it sounds like a lot of trouble, but it beats guessing and buying starters and installing them to find out they don't work. With the LENGTH MEASUREMENT and the ENGAGEMENT MEASUREMENT, you can measure any starter anywhere and find the one that will work. (IS THE FLYWHEEL BOLTED TO THE CRANKSHAFT BACKWARDS__CHECK THAT FIRST!)

 

[IMenriched]

Just a thought,,,,what if...when they swapped the engine they also swapped the wrong fly wheel/ring gear???? from some other engine....not allowing any starter to work properly for your current setup.

Like I said ...just a thought...don't know for sure if the 4cylinder (gas or diesel) flywheel is the same size as the 2.9...or if they would even bolt up to crank shaft....OR...the flywheel from a 4.0 is the same as the 2.9???

Just thinking out loud

 

[gatlin04]

I am going to run outside and do the measurements right now.
Here is the picture of the flywheel teeth.... sorry, this is the best picture i could get.
It is grinding the front side of the flywheel. I also found another (smaller) bolt hole near the same area... i remember seeing one at the part store that had 3 bolt holes and one being smaller than the other.... I will investigate!