As stated,


I replaced my starter after it quit on me. I had a back-up from my (identical) donor car (both AWM). The - KNOWN WORKING starter would spin, but it wouldn't engage. I thought maybe I screwed something up while cleaning it prior to install. Nope. Bought a brand new starter and I'm having the same problem, so now I have two starters spinning but not engaging - and the clutch and flywheel have 150 miles on them.

Can anyone help me figure this out?

Thanks!

 

Same car but did you swap different flywheels when doing a clutch change?

I know when I worked on my starter I couldn't reach it well so when I put it back in, I didn't tighten the two bolts down enough and it wasn't 'backed-up' to meet with the flywheel, i.e. the starter was a few cm closer to the front of the car than the flywheel so they never mated.

Neither the flywheel nor the starter gear actually move aside from spinning, so if the starter spins when turning the key, it's not touching the flywheel. If it doesn't spin when in the car, but spins out of the car when you test it, the flywheel is jammed.

 

The clutch and flywheel were installed by a Trans shop prior to the failure of the first starter, which worked fine until I burned it up trying to start the car (car wouldn't fire up due to timing issues).

The second (identical) starter was replaced by the same trans shop - and I installed the aftermarket starter. Same problem with both.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say when you say that "the gears don't move", but the solenoid on a starter pushes the gear out in order to engage the flywheel - and that is what's NOT happening. I even bypassed the solenoid and jumped the starter. Still no engagement.

Very strange issue.

 

Sorry I was not being clear at all, but yes since you know the starter gear pops out and spins, that helps narrow it down, I think...

So just to make sure, you've tested one (or both) starters outside the car and the gear pops out and spins? And when the stater is in, it spins wildly when you attempt to start the car? (Rather than make no sounds at all...)

 

Correct. I tested one directly from the battery while it was sitting on the valve cover. No problems. New starter in the car, I can hear it pop out and spin, but it won't engage - and I know it's lined up right.

 

Hmmm... interesting. If it pops and spins inside the car and you're 100% sure it's lined up correctly, it's gotta be the flywheel right? I mean what else could it possibly be? I'm out of ideas.

Could it be one of the brackets or frame pieces that's RIGHT next to the stater gear? It got bent or something that's causing the gear to not pop out all the way?

 

Or could it be either the starter gear or flywheel is worn down enough that they just rub in one spot? That theory is quite a stretch seeing as you've had the starter out and looked at it plenty and I don't even know how you would wear down the flywheel - it would have to have chipped off a few of the teeth of the flywheel and that chipped off area be lined up perfectly with where the starter is trying to engage. You could test the 'chipped flywheel' theory by rolling the car forward all of 1 foot (to rotate the flywheel) - though the likelihood it's that is near 0.

Can't be an electrical short to the solenoid if you can hear it pop out right? I mean if it sounded like it popped out but really didn't because some part of the frame was shorting some part of the starter... I dunno man I'm really reaching here... Just thinking out loud trying to cover all bases.

 

It's definitely a head scratcher.

I looked at the flywheel and it looks perfectly fine (plus it's a pretty new HD, single mass Flywheel). I pulled the new starter and tested it at the battery and it pops out and spins just fine. I checked the distance between the starter gear and the flywheel and they measure equal. The teeth on the starter are the same size as the tooth gap on the flywheel. I checked the voltage at the starter and it's getting a full 12.5V when fully installed and powered.

I have yet another new starter on the way, so we'll see what happens with that.

For now, still unknown.

 

Could the flywheel be loose some how? Again, not sure how that's possible, but if they starter is engaging with the flywheel just fine but the flywheel is just spinning freely...

 

Did you ever find out the problem? I am currently working on an 2001 Audi TTQ 1.8t that chewed some teeth on the timing belt. I installed a new belt and tensioner and reset the cam/crank timing. I wanted to test for compression to see if valves are bent but starter was spinning freely. Had it bench test and the starter pinion gear wasnt popping out so installed a new starter, now the new starter is doing the same thing (spinning freely) and not rotating engine. What are the odds of a new starter with bad solenoid? Guess I have to pull it back out and test.