Ok guys I just replaced my old started because it went bad on me and now this new one is doing the same thing. It worked fine at first but now when I try to start it, it sounds really ugly and grinds and then turns on. I had to replace the previous starter because it came apart where the solenoid is and stopped working. This one is doing the same thing, the bolts that tighten down the two parts of the starter together keep coming undone. Im not sure what is causing this and how to remedy it. I dont want to have to keep replacing starters. This one is only two weeks old.

 

here is a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smUZQAmPqtM

 

It sounds like a gear tooth missing on the flywheel.

 

Hey thanks for the response. I took a look at the flywheel and did not see any missing teeth. Can you think of any other reason for this?

 

did the starter come with the solenoid attatched? is the starter OEM or Aftermarket?.....you may need to use a shim

 

If its not the shim a worn out bendix drive would be my guess. Those systems rely on friction and inertia to push the driving gear up to the flywheel. If it was so loose the inertia could lift the gear out of spring pressure it will make that kind of noise.

Here's a picture for ya item 9

 

Hey guys thanks for the replies. The starter is OEM I recieved it from Mitsubishiparts.net so Im not sure if its original or refurbished, or if that makes a difference. The starter came with the solenoid attached but the bolts kept coming loose so I finally had to threadlock them.

Also Im not sure what a shim is can you explain that.

It could definitely be that internal part my only question would be are they prone to failure? This starter is brand new, it just replaced the old one which towards the end of its life started making the same noise. Could I have just had bad luck with these two starters back to back?

One thing I failed to mention that might be relevant is that the solenoid wire that attaches from the car to the starter its plastic connector broke off so I replaced it with another similar connector from radioshack. Could it be something as simple as the wire is not attaching right and causing this noise?

 

the shim goes between the starter and where it mounts to the engine/trans...it adjusts the distance between the flywheel gear and the starter gear for proper alignment of the gear teeth

 

Isn't a shim only for when you forget to put the plate between the engine and trans and dont want to take everything back apart? or do some come with shims factory too for some reason?

 

Assuming the starter is a bendix drive the system sometimes needs a shim because the staircase like piece of the drive has a locking detent in it which means it needs to be precise distance away from the flywheel gear or it wont lock.

But this reminds me that I'm not even completely sure what type of starter you have, I've never had to replace mine. Its completely likely that you could have a overrun cluth type which uses the solenoid to quite litterally push the gear toward the flywheel.

Now that I think about it as I'm writing this begins to make more sense after hearing your troubles with the solenoid staying in one place. I've taken the liberty to find you a disassembled starter so you can see the pieces I'm talking about.



The small plastic clippy wire serves as the power source for grounding the start providing power and moving the actuator so yes its pretty important. If you did

 

Here is a picture of what Im talking about

 

Thats definitely a overrun clutch type you can see the smooth shaft in the housing and the extended housing to the solenoid.

I don't think the whole starter is bad but it could be worth replacing the solenoid and seeing if something internal to it has been damaged.

 

Yea I was thinking the solenoid is bad. The last starter did this same thing, there is a little black thing that is inside the solenoid which i think is what pushes the starter into the gear and it seems that for some reason that thing is getting pushed outward and pushing the bolts out for some reason. Is there something other than a faulty starter that could cause this. I just think its weird that this is the second starter to do this especially that this one is a few weeks old

 

Since its mechanically responsible for putting the pressure to the flywheel if that flywheel was out of balance or warped it could rattle the bolts loose. Thats about all I can think of.

The easy short term fix is to get a solenoid and thread lock it in place so it wont rattle back out.

 

I still think there is something messed up with the ring gear on the flywheel. Maybe not a tooth missing but maybe some teeth messed up. This can occur when trying to start an engine that is already running.

Anyway, if that is the case the real fix is a new ring gear. However, if you find such a thing, you may be able to clean up the damage enough with a file to get by until clutch time.