Just replaced the starter (broken pinion clutch - hit and miss). I have no other car, so was running it aswas - just hard to start.

Trying to start her up the engine wasn't always firing up, and after turning over a failed start, smoke was coming from the air intake.

Doesn't seem to be happening now I've fitted the "new" starter as it pushes through and starts the car, but has very rough patches at regular intervals when cranking over.

Any ideas what's going on?

I have the feeling that this is going to be expensive....

Cheers

Rob

Sounds like you are backfiring out of the carb. Whats your timing set at?

A lot of times advanced timing or something like the timing being off say on the chain can cause backfiring and smoke out the intake. Hows it run other than the rough starting?

Very advanced timing can also make it hard starting and seem to want to fight itself as it is firing too early.

The smoke's coming out of the air inlet after cranking and a failed start, not during cranking or running. She runs very smoothly when started and there's no smoke then.

I haven't altered the timing at all in over a year, she's been good there.

I had a problem with the old starter working loose and chewing on the flywheel...could an erratic force from the old starter have made the timing chain jump?... it's been rattling just a little slack for a second or two on startup for a while now.

I got the starter changed out hoping to solve the problem, but now there's a loud grinding at intervals when cranking that I had put down to a damaged flywheel (next job...), perhaps it's not the flywheel?

Smoke is unfired fuel boiling off - see if it doesn't smell fuelish. grinding is graunched flywheel teeth from the hanging starter.

Thanks for that Eddy,

The smoke smelled like oil.

First job will be to take the guts from the new starter and fit them into the old casing, using the original solenoid - maybe there's a difference in casings that I can't see.

If that's no good then apart from swapping out the flywheel, is there anything I can do to try to fix the flywheel? Maybe try to file off burrs? Is shimming the starter a half mm or so just on the flywheel side a reasonable idea?

If not, I'll have to remove the transmission and change out the flywheel. Are there any pratfalls / hidden problems with doing this, and is there anything else should I consider doing while I have the transmission out?

Apart from working on smaller things like brakes/carb/dist etc, I'm a complete novice and this would be my first attempt at something as big as this. Aside from my wrenches and socket set, what tools would I need for the job,... trolley jacks? Life insurance?
I'm reasonably mechanically competent, but have no knowledge of this job - given that I don't break anything (ha) and that nothing goes wrong (hahahahahaha) how long can I expect the job to take?

I'm hoping it doesn't end up like this 4x4 wire - old thread

I would try filing the burrs off the flywheel teeth first. Pulling the tranny is not fun by yourself, even with a tranny jack. You have to pull off the shifter first, drive a roll pin out of the shift rail socket and keep it from dropping into the tranny, pull off the tcase and both driveshafts, pull off the clutch cylinder, and pull the tranny.

If you have the tranny off, replace the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, and pilot bearing, and check the tranny input shaft for in/out and sideways slop - should have none. It's such a biotch to get at that you change the clutch whenever you can get at it, worn out or not.

You dont have to pull the transfer case to remove the trans. Just unbolt the driveshafts, the main shifter housings, the bolts from the bell housing, speedo cable, ground cable and backup wires, Trans and transfer case mount, then I suggest draining the oil out of the transfer case and trans as it makes a mess. Pull it back drop the front down and push the back out.

visually inspect your flywheel to make sure there are no missing teeth. If it makes it any easier, you can rtemove the lower dust cover. It should only be 4 m6 bolts 10mm head. Will give you much better access to the flywheel.

Thanks gentlemen, much appreciated.





No missing teeth, will get busy with the file....

is there any presence of oil in your oil filter or housing?

Ok, touching up the teeth didn't do it, and neither did replacing the guts and coil on the old starter body - so she'll have to come to pieces. Going to pull the engine and get the timing chain/clutch/flywheel all done at the same time.