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Answer The flywheel is connected to the crank shaft on the engine. It has teeth on it that the starter connects to to start the engine when the starter gear is energized. After the flywheel and before the transmission is the torque convertor. This is what pressurizes the transmission so that is it shifts into and between gears as the car is running. Good luck.
Usually, the engine flywheel. A solenoid in the starter moves the starter pinion shaft forward (or backward depending on how it is mounted to the engine) to engage the outside edge of the flywheel (which has teeth to match the pinion gear).
With the flywheel spinning at about 1,000 RPM at idle, the starter, if engaged with the flywheel, would be forced to spin between 15,000 and 20,000 RPM. Once the engine has turned over and is running, the overrun clutch will release the starter from the flywheel and prevent the gears from re-meshing (as in an accidental turning of the ignition key) while the engine is running
When you hit the starter button the starter relay send power to the starter. the starter solenoid pushes the starter shaft outward and the starter turns. When the solenoid moves the shaft it is connected to the jackshaft which ingages the starter gear on the clutch
You need to first pull the flywheel/magneto off of the crank shaft. The starter clutch is attached to the back side of it with bolts.
There probably are many causes, but the one which I have observed several times, and therefore seems most common, is abnormal tortional stress caused by misalignment of the starter to the flywheel. It is very important that the axis [centerline] of the starter shaft be precisely perpendicular to the face of the flywheel. If the starter is misaligned, the uneven loading of the teeth of the starter gear,and the gear teeth on the flywheel will cause abnormal wear on the flywheel and starter drive gear teeth, and excessive excentric loading on the starter bearings and commutater. The TBF [time before failure] depends on the seriousness of the abnormal loading and wear, and in severe cases, failure of the starter can occur within hours of use.
tried to remove starter but shaft and gear seem to be stuck in primary case ..... do I need to open up the primary side to remove, starter just spins but does not engage flywheel.
Cam spins at half the speed of the engine.
To store the energy of the drive shaft
on starters that have the solenoid mounted on them, the link is a fork like piece between the solonoid and the starter clutch, which is on the motor shaft. on starters that dont have the solenoid on the starter, it just has a overrunning clutch on the motor shaft
Testing a starter typically only verifies that it works ELECTRICALLY. The Bendix on Fords (that's the gear assembly on the starter shaft which engages the flywheel) are notorious for causing what you describe; it's what occurs when the Bendix doesn't completely engage with the flywheel. Having said that, recognize that if the problem has gone on long enough you COULD have worn away the gears on the flywheel, and if you've done that you'll need to replace the flywheel. So... Option 1, replace the Bendix on the starter or replace the entire starter. Option 2, if option 1 didn't work, replace the flywheel (stick shift) or the flex plate (automatic transmission).
The flywheel- or in your case- it is really called a "flex plate" is bolted to the crankshaft, and it is what is used to bolt the torque converter to the engine. The starter's ring gear is also welded to the flex plate. If in the rare instance you do have a manual transmission, then the flywheel is used to transmit power from the engine through the clutch/input shaft of the transmission. In either case, it is located between the engine and the transmission.