1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse starter and fly wheel

Hi amberbid,

You must tell us what trouble it is before we can assist you.

the problem is that after putting in a new starter my car still struggles to start and makes a grinding noise when starting it....the flywheel has been checked out and all teeth are in tact...so any ideas as to what could be causing this? also it dies sometimes when sitting at a red light...thank you so much.

Hi amberbid,

When and what type of grinding noise? If the grinding noise is from the starter, you could have replaced with a wrong type of starter, the gears might be different from the original.

The engine stalling has nothing to do with the starter.

Is the check engine light showing?

The starter came from auto zone and it is for a Mitsubishi Eclipse my car has 122xxx miles on it and the check engine light has been on for a while but the car always seemed fine up until the starter went out...one day my car wouldn't start and I found my starter bolt was almost completely out so at first I just had a new starter bolt put in but by this point the starter was dead so that's when i bought the new starter and my car started up but it makes a grinding noise it sounded like the starter wasn't catching so Auto zone said to have the flywheel checked out.

Hi amberbid,

Get a scan done to find out what is wrong with the check engine light.

As to the starter, if you still had the old starter, count the number of teeth and compare with the one you replaced.

Is the starter securely tightened?

Is the starter new or reconditioned?

auto zone has the old starter it is reconditioned , it is secure I grabbed a hold of it and i can't shake it so i would say its pretty tight..i had the flywheel resurfaced today and put back on and after getting my car put back together my car still makes a loud noise when trying to start it and struggles to start.

Hi amberbid,

Refacing the flywheel is not going to solve the problem if the ring gears are worn, were they checked?

When it struggles to start, you need to check the engine management system. The starter is only for cranking and starting depends on fuel, sparks and other sensors.

You have 2 problems here and you should isolate them.

I repeat this again, scan the ECM for error before we continue.

ok so I had a mechanic look at my car and he said my starter bolts are stripped...he said he would have to order them...how hard are they to find?? how much do you think is a fair price for this..he says this is why my car when starting was making the grinding noise because the starter bolts didn't fit right so my starter wasn't lined up right..and this is also the reason why my 2nd starter in 3 weeks went out any help would be great.

Hi amberbid,

Sounds funny. If the starter bolts did not fit well, you said the starter did not budge when you tried to shake it.

Starter bolts should be easy enough to find, they are not any special bolts, you only need the correct length and size.

The scrapyard should be discarding these as scrap junks.

no the starter didn't budge, the mechanic said it wasn't lined up properly, thank you for all you're help.

funny was right...I got bolts from a junkyard they fit perfectly and the starter was installed properly...and this is my 3rd brand new starter in a couple of weeks...and shimmied the starter...still makes this strange noise so i called auto zone and they said to check the backing plate and to make sure the transmission cover wasn't in the way, clearly something on my car is ruining my starter since all the starters that i have installed are brand new, any suggestions i am at a complete loss and very aggravated with this car, thank you Amber

Hi Amber,

Lets get to the basics again.

What happened to the starter? Burnt, seized or just runs without engaging?

ok well it started about 3 weeks ago i couldn't start my car..turns out the starter bolt had came out...so i had to get a new starter because the teeth were broken on the old one, so i did that and my car made a sort of grinding noise when starting...took the starter back off teeth were worn again..so I got my 3rd starter today had it put in had the starter shimmied it still makes this strange grinding noise, so it has to be something on my car because all these starters are new, the flexplate teeth were fine, so auto zone suggested checking the backing plate or seeing if the transmission cover was in the way any advice? Is the problem even the starter or could this be an engine problem? I forgot to mention that my car does start it just makes this strange noise when starting thank you.

Hi Amber,

If the starter keeps getting the gears worn, there are 2 possibilities.

1. The starter gears are incorrect and cannot mesh properly with the flywheel ring gears. Did you confirm with the original starter the number of teeths?

2. The flywheel ring gears are damaged and is causing the starter gear to crash. YOu have refaced the flywheel so any damage would have been noticed, not likely cause.

3. The ignition switch is faulty, it is not releasing the solenoid after cranking. If the starter is still turning after the engine has started, turn the key slightly away from the crank direction after releasing the pressure.

4. The starter seat on the trans could be worn out of lateral due to the initial damaged starter and is now not aligned when installed.

Thank you for all the advice here is what the problem was...my flywheel and starter were not lining up correctly, so my car is starting fine now, but i was just curious if anyone has any ideas as to how this could have happened, thank you.

Hi Amber,

It could be that while tightening it, the starter was misaligned and you did not adjust it correctly when the final torquing was done.

Ok so the last mechanic said that the flexplate and starter weren't lining up and my car was fine for a few days..now its doing it again and my car has no power when i first go to take off, so i went to another mechanic and he said my flexplate has completely torn apart its casing probably due to a dragging torque converter and that my shifter cable is broken...so I'm thinking the last mechanic broke it he quoted me 800 dollars does this sound right I don't want to be lied to again and still have the same problem thank you.

Hi Amber

It is difficult for me to answer this part.

How or who did it is questionable.

As to the amount, if it involves all the parts that you mentioned, it should be reasonable.

Ask the mechanic for a warranty on the job and get it down on paper.

Just wanted to thank everyone for the help with my Mitsubishi however I have decided to cut my losses and sell this vehicle..so I was looking for some advice before purchasing a new car I am looking at a Dodge Neon 1998 with a new paint job and my question about this car is, is it a safe buy this vehicle has 148,000 miles on it, and I have found a Chevy Cavalier 1997 with 80,000 miles on it but it needs an ignition control module...how much is this to fix, I greatly appreciate any advise and thank you in advance, Amber