Dan asks:
> In about the last month, about 1 of every 20 or so starts, the
> starter has started to ^@&#%&!, like when some moron hits the
> starter when the engine's already idling...
Most likely, there's a worn patch of gear teeth on the flywheel's
ring gear. They've now worn down enough that the starter is 'almost'
able to engage them, and you're hearing the process of finishing the
job of grinding the teeth into dust :-)
When the engine stops, it usually stops in one of 2 distinct positions
(only one, if the compression isn't balanced). The engine will stop as a
cylinder comes up on its compression stroke, as that's where it
meets the most resistance. Two TDC's per crank revolution, and
it'll stop just short of TDC (maybe even back up just a bit). So the
starter is always hitting the same small patch of just a few gear teeth.
After a long while, the three teeth you need are ground down while
the rest of the ring gear is perfectly fine.
-- John
John F Sandhoff sandhoff@csus.edu Sacramento, CA
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