Ok well first I'd like to say hi, I've come to this site now and then for like 3 years, but only joined lately as I have a big problem (its a problem that shouldn't be big at all).
Well my car is a 1996 Pontiac Sunfire SE 2.2L 5speed.
I fried my starter motor due to some other problems and so I replaced it, but I couldn't get it to engage with the flywheel properly, thinking it was a problem with the starter I replaced it again with another brand, and this one still seems to not want to engage with the flywheel properly, I've tried all sorts of shims of different sizes yet still nothing, it makes a weird sound just like the cog in the starter is running along the side of the flywheel, there seems to be some marks on the flywheel aswell.
The starters did work fine, as we hooked them up to the battery and the solanoid and motor work fine, but it doesn't seem to work right when I install it, the motor turns but very slowy, I dunno what else to do, except go to a scrapyard and buy a GM starter motor from another Sunfire.
Any help please, am I missing something?, does something need to be reset or changed?, HELP
you said the motor turns, but very slowly., so that most likely eliminates the motor being locked up... have you done a voltage drop test? i'd look at the conections, and check the battery,, one of those is bound to be it...
Well I charged up the battery the other day (not fully) but I have tried jumping it with a jumper pack that we have, the connections are good though, I cleaned them all when I took the car out, plus I got an extra 1 gauge cable hooked onto the Negative terminal.
So I don't think its anything to do with the battery, well not right now anyway.
Anybody else???
This has really got me baffled, something so simple becoming something so hard.
No, we had a good look at it when we took it out, it only had a slight bit of the usual wearing for that age of a car, same with the flywheel, it seems to be in good shape, I am kinda baffled but have come up with 2 more things to try, 1, get a GM starter motor from another sunfire at a scrapyard, as this one SHOULD just bolt right in without the need for shims, or 2 when I have installed the starter I only secured it in with the 2 main bolts for it, I didn't put in the nuts at the back of the starter and I didn't but that brace bar on underneath, maybe becuase of that, the starter is shaking abit and so its not lining up with the flywheel, so gonna try it when I get home, I dunno though, I've been under the car when the starter has been on and it doesn't seem to really shake at all, but its worth a try, I just didn't but them on as when your trying a whole combo of different size shims, I would have to take it all off then put it all back on which would add alot of time and I don't think it would be coursing the problem, but I'll find out when I get home.
Thanks for the help so far.
