Flywheel turns but motor doesn't!!! Help!!!
 

Allright, I thought i had a starter problem on my car so I finally got around to changing it. Well when i cranked it, it made the same noise. Like the starter is spinning but the motor wasn't. I was pissed, it was late, and I had to be up early the next morning. So I went over in my head what it could be. I thought maybe the flywheel teeth were worn. So I got under the car, found a place to look at the flywheel and watched it turn as my buddy cranked it. What the hell can it be a cracked flywheel?? Well I'm ready to pull everything off and change it, could it be anything else!!!!!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations you broke the center out of your flywheel.

I did the same thing 2 years ago.

Thanks, I just put a clutch in 4 months ago now I gotta strip it all back off again! At least the bolts should be a little bit easier to break now. One more question, will it be allright to use my current clutch on a new flywheel, or will it be better to replace it so everything is smooth???

No, you can use your current clutch if it is still good. Make sure the fluwheel is good, you might have to have it turned...I did once with a new one.

Or heaven forbid......
 

Or heaven forbid, it could be a broken crank shaft (unlikely). But if the flywheel is turning and the snout of the crank is not..............then something in-between is broken.

Rev

Well I just got done pulling everything off. The only thing I see is the inner face of the flywheel about half an inch is worn down. I hope this is my problem. If it is, how would that affect it???

can u take pics.. that would help...

Nevermind about the flywheel, I looked on the internet for pics to compare them with mine and they looke the same. I couldn't figure out what it was. I just got done putting everthing back together and it's still doing the same thing. Help!!1

maybe a broke crank.. sounds bad..

That's what I was thinking but we push started it the other day and it drove fine with no vibration. Also when I had the trans and clutch out the flywheel moved when we tuned the crank pulley??????? I'm lost!!

Why is it that you think the engine is not turning? Because the accesory belt doesn't turn?

Normally when the crank turns the pulley and harmonic damper turn also, right???

This I can answer definitively (just replaced my harmonic balancer on Friday), YES, when the crank turns, the pully and harmonic balancer MUST also turn.

Have someone watch under the hood while you try and start the car, and let us know what they see moving.

maybe the starter isnt shimmed right and not engaging the flywhell proper so it isnt turning the flywheel fast enought to start it . the old one might of been missing the shim and when you replaced it you would of still been missing the shims.

how fast was the flywheel turning when you watched it ?

Is the battery fully charged?

hope you find the problem.

When I'm looking at the engine when it's being cranked nothing moves, not even the slightest twitch. The flywheel is moving pretty fast when it is cranked, fast even that the crank and some accessories should move, which they aren't. I doubt its the shims for the starter because it was my original starter!! It had over 117,000 on it, that is alot of cranks. And it never skipped a beat before.

ok, something is being missed here. If u push started the car, and it ran fine, then u can rule out the crank being broke. If the flywheel is moving but the front accesories are not, it has to be at the flywheel, somewhere. Does it sound like it usually did when the starter engaged?

Your original post says you changed the starter...did u rebuild the original or replace it with another unit? As many details as possible.
Ryan

After I started to have the problem, I thought that the starter was bad so I replaced it with a new unit.

Hey guys, I think I've got an idea, honestly, it sounds to me like something isn't quite right here, but it's possible that the ring gear (which gets pressed onto the flywheel) is somehow either loose or broken and is spinning, but the flywheel isn't spinning. That way, you can push start the car, but the teeth turn around the flywheel and don't turn the flywheel or crank. What do you think?

Re: Flywheel turns but motor doesn't!!! Help!!!
 

Ok, where exactly did you "find a place to look at the flywheel"?