starter flywheel contact

dan in new mexico

dan in new mexico

Daily Driver
Hi...guys..i believe my starter teeth are making unwanted contact with the flywheel...after starting that is. Was getting noisy metallic knocking from that area...noticed a starter bolt was loose and rattling. removed starter and re inserted...tightened all bolts securely...seemed to help some..be i still hear some rattling..except when i get in to fourth gear. The flywheel can be removed without dropping engine..right? Just tranny ? First question i've had to ask since i got my 1980 FI 3 years ago. Only because have not had any serious problems! Comments? dan in new mexico
 
The flywheel can be removed by dropping the tranny

But I think that's a bit premature. Is it possible your starter solenoid is not completely retracting the gear?

If you have a spare starter you can swap in, I would start there first. Unless you just put that starter in, I don't see how the clearances would shrink over time. You could also try loosening all the starter bolts, then pull/pry the starter away from the flywheel and retighten the bolts. I'm not sure if there is enough slop in those bolt holes to open up any clearance or not.

Pete
 
good points..

i thought about trying to retract starter a bit and tighten down...will try that...i have an old starter too..so that option is open as well. Thanks! dan
 
Starter?

Years ago I had this occasional jingling noise in my '75 Scirocco. Eventually figured out I could induce the noise by taking left turns. At first I thought I had a bad differential or something like that. Eventually discovered (can't remember why, maybe starter failed?) that the return spring on my starter's bendix failed, leaving the the starter gear free to slide in and out when at rest.

This could be what you're hearing.
 
Parhaps not the starter after at all?

be i still hear some rattling..except when i get in to fourth gear
Click to expand...
If you have noises in every gear but one, it is often due to a problem with that one gear.
 
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