Y'all know the saying, "When it rains, it pours"....well, this is the ongoing problem with my "5"...
..
3 months ago, I figured I would have had this car done and drivable again within a month...2 if it took a LONG time. I always have some sort of project to work on for one of my cars, so it keeps me busy on my 'free time'. I figured I would have had time to get those finished and then some...but, it seems where something could go wrong, π has...
Here's a list of setbacks I've had on this car. It all startered in June when I:
1). Performed an oil change
----- blue smoke started pouring out of the exhaust
2). Bad piston ring(s), but no available parts could be had.
----- Ended up buying a used 65k mile motor.
3). Newer motor was set to be delivered on 6/23 (and I took off of work this day)
----- the motor was delivered 3 days late!
4). Removed the old engine and ordered new parts for the new motor.
----- These parts took weeks to get delivered
*** While waiting, I managed to find performance cams w/ new lash adjusters / springs, LSJ T/B and a ZZP shorty header
5). I tried to replace the valve springs myself after watching a Youtube vid.
----- The trick they used in the vid didn't work on my engine.
----- I screwed myself and pushed the valve into the cylinder.
*** I had to pull the head and get the valve springs installed professionally. While at it, he cleaned out the exhaust ports.π€
6). while reinstalling the head, I forgot to install 4 head bolts in the area of the timing / balance shaft chains
----- I made a tool to fit between the cam sprocket and head wall totorque down the hex bolt.
While the car was all apart, I began to inspect and clean the subframe and all the components under and around the car.
7). I Upon inspection of the steering rack, I saw there was a hole in one of the boots
----- purchased and replaced the power steering rack.
6). While cleaning the subframe, I saw the front sway bar (FE3 - 22mm) was cracked
----- I had to replace it with a FE5 (24mm), because I couldn't find a FE3 sway.
7). The sway bar brackets were rusted badly and NOS parts are not available.
----- I spent several hours making new ones from 1.5" iron bar.
8). After reinstalling the motor, there was a large crack in the aluminum oil pan
----- had a friend (certified welder) fix it.
9). Painted the fixed oil pan silver and reinstalled it.
----- next morning oil leaked out of a hairline crack on the other side.
10). Removed the trans pan to service / replace the old trans fluid.
----- someone (NOT ME) stepped on the pan and bent it. Would not install correctly and got a new trans pan from RockAuto.
11). Tried to start the car, but it wouldn't turn over. There were all kinds of codes.
----- I had to get a different Throttle body adapter (8 pin to 8 pin - NOT 8 pi to 6 pin) from ZZP for the LSJ Throttle Body upgrade.
12). Car still wouldn't start. Key turns, nothing happens...except NOW the key was stuck in the ignition.
----- Figured how to release the key, had to make a ground to the TCM.
...and this is where I'm at NOW. The starter finally spins, but wont engage with the flexplate. I was hoping it was either a bad battery, battery cable of something along those lines. I used a car jumper connected to the battery (trunk), on the jump points under the hood and with the jumper hooked directly to the starter to see if the starter would engage. It wil not. It spins and when I switch the key to off, I hear a thump-thump from the exhaust.
I called a bunch of people who areASE certified mechanics that I know. They are all saying it's a backwards flexplate. To prove I'm not an idiot, this is my view through the starter hole.
...and this is an eBay flex plate (noting in both pictures π and π where an outer ring is rivoted to one side of the plate). That ring faces towards the engine / away from the trans. This means I'm NOT an idiot and I did get it right.
I've been trying to figure this out and nothng seems to make any sense. I've been doing cross refrencing and found the flexplate is the same part number on all the 2.0, 2.2 and 2.4 litre ecotec motors. In fact, there are many parts that are used in all the Ecotec i-4's. I did find there are 3 (THREE) different starter part numbers. I took my starter to O'Reilys and compared mine to the other two versions. Outwardly, they looked exactly the same in all dimensions. The bendix is the same diameter on all 3 versions (I used a calipers to measure). There is one difference I did notice on a later version of the starter. On this one there is a plastic connector instead of the bare wire with the ring end, that you have to bolt onto the starter with an 8mm bolt. Otherwise, that it...they are the same.
I began to go through everything again; checking all the grounds several times and cleaing and re-cleaning them. The starter issue didn't change. When I turn the key on, you can hear the starter spinning, but the car doesn't turn over. It sounds like the bendix is not engaging with the flex plate. The only time you hear anything from the engine, is when you go to turn off the key. There is a little thum-thump coming out of the exhaust. This is the only time you hear anything, but it doesn't happen all of the time.
When you look inside of the starter, the backing of the bendix gear has some minimal wear on that part only. There are no(zero) markings on the gearing of the bendix. That part of it is unmarred and perfectly clean.
On a whim, I tried to measure the area inside of the starter hole. Using some masking tape, I secured it to the back edge of the flexplate and to the furthest edge of the starter hole. The measurement I got from there (using a calipers) was 1.880 inches. I then measured the distance from the outer edge of the bendix gear teeth to the end of the starter, that secures it, into the hole. That measurement is rougly 1.750 inches. At this point, I think there is a problem in the engine block, where the starter isn't or wont touch the flexplate by just over 1/10th of an inch.
Of course, this is only speculation at this point. I'm going to have to verify this and to do so, I had to buy an old, junky starter. Once it arrives, I'll dismantle and test my theory. For posterity, I will be taking pictures and maybe recoring a vid on this.
I'm 48 and have been wrenching on cars for close to 30 years. In that time, I have only heard of a manufacturing defect like this π ONCE. It was a one of those, friend of a friend deals too. I literally, only heard about this a year or two ago.
You know, back when you could order a part and it would be delivered within a day...
So, this guy had a '77 Ford F100 pickup. The starter wasn't engaging the flywheel and he was replacing all kinds of brand new parts. After getting a new flywheel, starter and bellhousing, it turned out the hole for the starter was 1/4 inch off. He had to modify the starter head by grinding off one side of the built in shim. Once he did that, he made a seperate shim to support the starter in the hole from the other side. He also had to move the starter bolt holes and fabricate a bunch of stuff to get this all to work togther. Mind you, this wasn't all aftermarket stuff, where you had to use Mickey Mouse trickery to mesh all these different things togther. These were all Ford replacement or 'factory' parts.
If this happens to be the case on this car, it is
EXCEEDINGLY rare. I feel I have to figure this out (and I will
have to document it).