I picked up my truck from the tranny shop around a week and a half ago. Starting last night it started sounding like the flywheel teeth are getting chewed up. It is getting progressivley harder and harder to start, due to the fact that when it's in (what seems to be) the position that the teeth are chewed up the starter spins freely. I've been parking on slight hills so that I can move the engine manually by dropping the clutch when I get in this position. I'm planning on taking it back to the tranny shop, however I'm just afraid that they're going to play the "cooincidence" card (which it COULD be, but I'm thinking otherwise). Are there any starter install errors that they could have made that would have caused the flywheel gears to get chewed up? Also, aren't the flywheel teeth harder than the starter pinion gear to prevent a flywheel from being chewed up? I haven't had the time or daylight to check it out myself.

 

Doesn't sound like anything I have heard of before. Check the starter to see if it is loose. I don't think they need to remove the starter before they remove the tranny.

Bump.

 

I went and bought a new starter just in case it's just the starter not engaging. I'm getting ready to pull the old one right now and see whats up. I'll let ya guys know.

 

There are 3 bolts. Take the hardest one to get to out 1st.

 

Well I pulled the starter and the flywheel teeth and the starter teeth are all chewed up. I looked through the little peep slot up into the bellhousing and saw a chewed up screw laying in there. Needless to say I took that starter back, threw the old one back on and drove it back to the tranny shop and dropped a key and note through their mailslot late last night. They're going to fix their mistake now, and the major downside is the fact that I'm without my truck.

 

Well I have my truck back already. They took care of the problem for free, although swearing that the screw wasn't theirs. I told them that I knew it didn't just magically appear in there and accepted the fact that I got it fixed for nothing. Just happy to be back in my truck!

 

what did they do?...i hope they did more than just remove the screw?

 

There is no way they could have removed the starter, tranny & flywheel to replace the parts that fast. They repaired what damage they could so it would run.