Starter sounds like it’s stripping

Okay. So I just turned the engine by hand and watched the part where the starter teeth meet the teeth of the 'flexplate'. (sorry don't know the name) and those teeth look about the same as the starter. Nothing missing, just a little worn like the starter.

 

okay. so the flexplate teeth on mine appear worn like the starter. So the flex plate is in the trans and it needs to be rebuilt? You said the starter seems to not be engaging all the way. That is what I was thinking after viewing the starter teeth.
One other thing I noticed when looking at new starters, they seem to have a 1.4 up to 2.0 kw rating. Could this be a problem with the starter? When I replaced the starter a year or so ago I didn't notice this, I just bought the one that said would work with my tacoma. Thanks

 

When I go to crank it, it sounds like it's engaging then kind of shutters or spins, then engages again and cranks

 

The battery is charging fine. I put in another post that I'm not sure if my starter (that I replaced about 1.5 years ago) has the proper kw power. I just noticed when looking at new starters they range from 1.4kw to 2.0kw for the same listed truck, 05 Tacoma TRD sport.

 

Forgot to mention this is an automatic transmission.

 

The flex plate is bolted to the motor crank on one side and torque converter on the other (brass colored bolts on the flex plate that you can see in the starter window). The torque converter slides on to the spline in the transmission. The flex plate is a large gear that contacts engages the starter as well. It's difficult to tell from your pics, but are the flex plate teeth only worn to half the depth of each tooth? The teeth on your starter do not look worn, but it does look like it is fully extending inward. I gather from you previous comments that you had a similar issue with your starter, then replaced it. So a couple scenarios exist:

1. Your original starter did not extend fully and caused the partial wear in the flex plate teeth. Your new starter is engaging a notched/worn flex plate and skips, sometimes catching on the partially worn teeth.
2. Your new starter has the same issue as your old starter and is not extending properly. (low, but not zero probability).

The wattage rating is just the strength of the motor and should not be relevant to how far the spindle extends. I would verify you have the correct starter for your vehicle. It can be tested off the vehicle for correct functionality.

 

" Your original starter did not extend fully and caused the partial wear in the flex plate teeth. Your new starter is engaging a notched/worn flex plate and skips, sometimes catching on the partially worn teeth."
That is what I was thinking, but not sure how to explain it. The starter pinion seems to work fine when I press and release by hand, but could have some issue when installed? The slight wear on the teeth of the starter and the flexplate seems to point to a starter pinion that is not extending to the flexplate fully, you think?
So if the flexplate teeth are worn I should replace the flexplate. Will the transmission need to be dropped to change the flexplate? Will that solve the issue for the future or is the starter the base problem, or can you tell by the information I've given?

 

If I had to put money on it, I think your old starter damaged the flex plate and the new one can't engage the teeth properly. I think your new starter is fine.

If your current starter is the correct part number and tests out ok, I think the problem has to be the worn flex plate. The easiest thing is to unbolt the torque converter from the starter window, leaving it on the trans, pull the trans and replace the flex plate. You will lose a little trans fluid and need to top it off if you do it yourself. It's similar to a clutch job on a manual trans.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

I'm parting out an engine (see buy/sell section). If you need an OEM flex plate, PM me. I'll sell it cheap.
KP

 

Quick update for those that helped me and are interested in the post. What I thought was a cracked flexplate/flywheel ended up being a bad starter. I took the starter off and took it to O'Reilly's and AutoZone for testing. Both said the starter was okay, so I stopped by a shop that has done some other work for me and described what was happening. The guy told me what I was describing didn't sound like a cracked or broken flexplate. He suggested getting another starter and trying that first....so I did. Presto, it worked.

Thanks for all the help friends.

 

That's Awesome. It's good you got it tested.

Edit: I guess testing didn't get to the solution path, but replacing a starter is a lot easier than replacing the flex plate. Good job.