flywheel

can anyone tell me how to know if i have the right flywheel? my starter grinds but it will turn the motor untill it gets hot and i have replaced the starter. i thought everything was original on it. i painted the starter gear to see where the teeth hit and it only goes about half way into the teeth. its like the starter needs to move closer to the motor.

any help would be great

thanks

bluemach

I am pretty sure that you have the wrong starter. If you used the term flywheel correctly, you have a manual transmission and the starter is for an automatic with the thinner flexplate.

exactly my thoughts as well

I am pretty sure that you have the wrong starter. If you used the term flywheel correctly, you have a manual transmission and the starter is for an automatic with the thinner flexplate.

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i have an automatic and they said i have the right starter.

+1 @ Jeff73Mach1

Automatic = Flexplate & Manual = Flywheel

6 Cyl = 0 oz bal

8 Cyl = 28 oz balance until later in early 80s then 50 oz

You may need to replace the flexplate if the teeth are eaten up. Replacing a flexplate is NOT easy, you need to at least pull the engine from the tranny (can be 2-3 inches apart) and unbolt it. I did it about 3 months ago and it took 3-4 hrs. Make sure you torque the bolts to the right spec. I did it on a 289 but a 302 should is the same...not sure about the bigger engines though. I have a 157 tooth flexplate ($60) with 28 oz balance on a C4. The other flavor (162T I think) is bigger so it won't fit in your tranny housing. The flexplates should only fit on 1 way (5 bolt holes) so replacing it isn't rocket science. If you have the tools (engine hoist) I'd go with that if you are sure the starters aren't the problem.

You'll need to match up the flexplate with your trans and engine. I googled it so it wasn't hard to figure out.