Noise

I know noises are hard to explain on a forum but I have one hard to pinpoint. It sounds like it’s lower at the back of the engine. I thought flex plate maybe but when you put it in gear and give it a little gas it almost goes away. I have not pulled the dust cover yet to look. I’ve read a lot about piston slap in 2.7s. If this is the case if I stop a cylinder from firing shouldn’t it go away?
By the way it’s a 98 2.7 auto.

 

My mom's having a hip replacement so I ain't been on here. I think it's the starter gear bumping the flywheel. I'll let y'all know what I find.

 

I know i posted this a while back but got back on it. The flywheel was cracked. I changed it out and all is fine except the detent cable was melted to the exhaust.