Yeah, something isn't quite right. I agree. The flywheel cannot spin freely without turning the crank (it is bolted directly to it by six bolts), thus turning the harmonic balancer, and thus, the serpentine belt. The only way the flywheel could "spin" "freely", is if it broke off the crank, and I HIGHLY doubt that is the case here, even if it DID break off the crank, it couldn't really "spin", for it would have no real axis to spin about, and it would be knocked out of alignment from the starter gear anyway. It would probably make the most horrendous noise too.

ok so accessories are not moving?

flywheel turning over freely when u hit the starter?

can be push started...


something definateally fishy!

Look in the inspection plate
 

Look in the inspection plate at the flywheel itself and at the ring gear as someone cranks the motor to see if both are turning. That should tell you about the flywheel end of the crank.

Also look at the snout of the crank shaft and the damper at the front as someone cranks it. That will tell you if the damper (balancer) is slipping.

Something somewhere is slipping.

Rev

Did you put the key in the harmonic balancer?

Hey QuantumMotorsports, I checked the flywheel out and nothing is broken or loose. My friend that works and the dealership is going to come help me later tonight on it and hopefully we can find this out, he even seemed puzzled about it. Oh well, Wish us luck, we are going to need it!

That makes sense to me, but what in the world could have cracked or loosened the ring gear? I had to replace one in my 84 HO and It wouldn't bidge until we drilled holes on either side of it and broke it off. Maybe it has a hairline crack? Are you seeng the crank turn or the teeth of the ring gear turn? Maybe it's still too tight to budge it by hand, but when you put the stress of the engine against the starter, it gives...

My money is on the ring gear.

another vote for ring gear but i thought he tore everything down and looked at the flywheel ?

A crack in the ring gear could possibly be missed if he wasn't looking for it. The ring will still grip the flywheel pretty tight, just not tight enough to turn the engine over without slipping. That's my bet.

--nathan

Either that or the key in the balancer, but then the accesories wouldn't turn after push starting the car either, check that out man. Check to see if the fan and alternator are turning when the car runs when you push start it.

No, nevermind, cause the car would probably start if just the balancer wasn't turning. I'm betting something's up with the ring gear on the flywheel.

That could be a good possiblity but the darn flywheel looked good to me, I even grabbed my hands around the teeth and turned it and everything was moving.

Allright guys, here is what I found out. When you try to crank it the flywheel teeth turn but the pressure plate doens't. If the plate is bolted to the flywheel, that would mean the teeth are moving around the flywheel and basically I'll need a new one. Anybody agree????

Makes perfect sense to me ... doubt you could weld the ring back on because its probably hardened. I'd think about taking it back to where you bought it and asking them why it came lose ! I have seen a press on ring crack, and when it does that it will no longer hold.

WTF?!!!

How is that even possible? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the flywheel is one massive piece of metal, so there's no way for just the "teeth" to spin around it.......

no on some cast flywheel steel teeth are pressed on to the outer edge of the flywheel so the started gear doesnt chew up the cast material..


I have a aluminum flywheel that has a bolted on ring gear in the basement,

Wow... News to me... Learned something new through this dudes misfortune though...

Thanks :)

Yeah, when we were building my engine, I watched a guy in his shop mount one. He uses a torch to heat up the ring. When it gets red hot, it expands enough to just fit on the flywheel, and he hammers it down. It cools and mates itself to the wheel. I don't know that the steel is hardened, just harder than the cast wheel. Heating up a hardened steel past a certain point like they have to do when mounting the ring will negate the heat treatment.

--nathan

Cool, thanks alot for the help. I'm about to start stripping the car back down again. Hopefully I should have an aluminum flywheel to put on for Sunday. Thanks alot. BTW, I won the sport compact class at the track last night!! Woohoo!!!

SOoooooo...

Was it the Ring Gear?

Yep.

--Nathan