Flywheel/starter question

[papak]

As I get ready to start the motor for the first time (Duratec 2.3l), I wanted to crank it with the starter (plugs out, ECU, coolant and fuel pumps disabled). Starter spins great but no flywheel engagement! This is a new stock Ford starter and an Exedy ZF502 flywheel. I'm a little tied up this weekend but plan on pulling th starter on Tuesday to check the bendix spring. AAARRRGH!!!

 

What am I missing? Has anybody else had an issues with either the starter or Exedy flywheel in this manner?

 

TIA

Edited July 4, 2016 by papak

[coffee break]

Just a dumb question, is the polarity correct?

[papak]

Yes. The starter spins fine. When I get it off tomorrow, I'll double check that it spins in the correct direction. Good thought.

[locost7018]

Also check the throw distance to make sure the furthest out distance of the starter gear is close to the same as the motor side of the flywheel. Is there a dust guard that can be removed so you can see into the flywheel/starter area? Russ

[papak]

Figured it out this morning. The "throw" of the starter gear is correct but the diameter of the gear is too small. It seems that the Exedy flywheel is for the Ford Focus version of the Duratec 2.3 and that flywheel diameter is slightly smaller than the 2.3 in the Ranger. The new starter is on the way.

[papak]

When I compare the new Ford Focus starter to the Ranger starter, The differences are a little different than I suspected. First of all, the motor itself is physically smaller, maybe by 15-20%. The gear diameter and throw are the same but the shaft that it rides on vs the mounting face makes it offset, such that it rides closer to the flywheel teeth. From the smaller motor, I presume that it will produce less torque but that wasn't an issue in spinning the motor. From what I see on Rock Auto, the Focus starter is also less expensive. $70 vs $115 for a new "oem" unit.

 

I only had to make one adjustment to optimize the fit. There are two long retaining screws that run the length of the outside of the motor, holding the assembly together lengthwise. The forward mounting boss needed a bit of grinding in order to avoid touching the side of the block. Only needed to remove 0.05" or so.