Ok. Most of you might not have been following along, so a quick run down.
I have an '02 Sunfire that came with a 2200 / 5spd. Blew that up, swapped in a L61 (donor was auto) / 5spd combo with a Centerforce clutch and Fidanza flywheel. After 6-8 months of almost daily driving I start hearing some chunking sounds when starting. Flywheel teeth are missing. Fidanza replaces the ring gear for free. Put it back in and 6-8 months later, same chunking sound. Teeth are missing again. New starter, new alternator, new battery.
So. Now that everybody is up to speed. What is causing the teeth to break. I have a new stock flywheel to put in, but I'd like to know whether the Fidanza teeth are just @!#$, or is something else going on.
To help out I have a couple videos from different angles so you can see what the starter is doing.
AutoZone. What could be bad on it if it tests fine?
You see something wrong in the video??
sounds like the drive is bent. even where there weren't missing teeth, it was not meshing properly. get a starter from the dealer.
JBO Stickers! Get yours today!
Sounds like a good idea. A GM piece would be better I guess
You know how you check the backlash in rear diffs. I would try and apply some paint to see where the starter engauges the flywheel. If it's too close, it could take off some teeth when the starter comes out.
I agree it did not sound right even on the good area.
FU Tuning
Maybe cause you haven't heard the starter without the trans wrapped around it. Trust me I was surprised at how loud it was too. But you could be right. The starter could somehow be bad. Gonna put the stock flywheel in, compare the teeth between the two, and pick up a GM starter
How did it sound before you started shredding teeth off the flywheel? Did you ever try shimming the starter? Are the starter bolt holes and threads in good shape?
I agree that it may be the quality of the flywheel. I don't know anything about Fidanza, but the teeth on the starter "should" be weaker than your flywheel. At least, that would make sense to me.
I've also recently read about wiring problems causing a starter to engage when changing gears. It's a long shot, but it has happened.
2.2 97 Cavalier......the "Crapalier"
I've had a GM stock flywheel in for about 3 weeks and just to let you know...........it was the flywheel.
FIDANZA IS THE DEVIL!!!!!!
The only way I'll ever use an aftermarket flywheel from here on out is if LZM designs one. The broken flywheel teeth thing happened twice now and has kept my car off the road more than I care to mention and has made me a little gun shy about driving it. Two things no aftermarket part should ever do.
