Starter won't reach the flexplate
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,805
Likes: 36
From: Annapolis MD
Starter won't reach the flexplate
I went to install the starter and with the pinion fully extended it "just" touches the flexplate ring gear, it won't go far enough to get a mesh.
It's a 168 tooth TCI flex plate and a Hitachi geared starter. I have a 0.090 motor mid plate (and matching .090 shim between the crank flange and the flex plate), which would account for a slightly shorter gear overlap (which is why I was checking), but no overlap??
The radial spacing looks correct. With the pinion fully retracted the ring gear to pinion distance is about 0.5". The pinion extends about 0.5" from retracted, just enough to "touch".
The flex plate is installed with the slight bow toward the engine block, which puts the recesses (and the SFI inspection label) on the torque converter side. Do I have it on backwards?? I don't think the bow would account for moving the ring gear too much, I could only even see it by placing a straightedge across the flex plate. Is the ring gear offest to one side of the flex plate?
I'd really hate to have to pull the trans back out, but it wouldn't be the first time.
??????? Greg
Dang, the flex plate WAS on backwards, and the starter ring gear is offset to one face. Luckily it wasn't as hard to pull the trans as I thought, only took 2 hours. Man do I like having a lift!! It would have been even easier if I had remembered to cut the extra tab off of the trans case before I put it in the first time so it would slide straight back through the firewall (it's cut off now!).
-Greg
It's a 168 tooth TCI flex plate and a Hitachi geared starter. I have a 0.090 motor mid plate (and matching .090 shim between the crank flange and the flex plate), which would account for a slightly shorter gear overlap (which is why I was checking), but no overlap??
The radial spacing looks correct. With the pinion fully retracted the ring gear to pinion distance is about 0.5". The pinion extends about 0.5" from retracted, just enough to "touch".
The flex plate is installed with the slight bow toward the engine block, which puts the recesses (and the SFI inspection label) on the torque converter side. Do I have it on backwards?? I don't think the bow would account for moving the ring gear too much, I could only even see it by placing a straightedge across the flex plate. Is the ring gear offest to one side of the flex plate?
I'd really hate to have to pull the trans back out, but it wouldn't be the first time.
??????? Greg
Dang, the flex plate WAS on backwards, and the starter ring gear is offset to one face. Luckily it wasn't as hard to pull the trans as I thought, only took 2 hours. Man do I like having a lift!! It would have been even easier if I had remembered to cut the extra tab off of the trans case before I put it in the first time so it would slide straight back through the firewall (it's cut off now!).
-Greg
Last edited by GregP; Mar 26, 2005 at 08:34 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Pettis Performance 565 with two stages of Nitrous Supply nitrous 1.082, 4.61 at 155, 7.17 at 192
do, re-do, do it again, re-do it again...been there done that, again.
Is that project of yours almost done? Yours has been one I really wanted to see finished.
Is that project of yours almost done? Yours has been one I really wanted to see finished.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,805
Likes: 36
From: Annapolis MD
Originally Posted by 69 N.O.X. RATT
do, re-do, do it again, re-do it again...been there done that, again.
Is that project of yours almost done? Yours has been one I really wanted to see finished.
Is that project of yours almost done? Yours has been one I really wanted to see finished.
Then as you said there are the "Doh's". This morning I pulled the front motor plate because I thought I had forgotten to plug the infamous bolt hole that goes into the fuel pump cavity. Of course that bolt hole is one of the ones that holds the motor plate on. At least I know how it goes back together pretty well now.
As for answering my own post ... thought it might help someone else not to do the same thing.
-Greg
