1995 2.5 4-Cylinder Flex Plate Replacement

Connor_Wagner

Connor_Wagner

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2021
Messages
8
Location
Havre De Grace, MD
Hi all,

New to the forum world and was wondering if anyone has had to replace their 2.5L flex plate before? This all started when one day the Jeep had rough sporadic starts. I've previously dealt with a bad PCM so I thought nothing of a rough start - and considering its a jeep, it didn't concern me as much. Since then the starting has become a real issue - rough starts almost every morning and I am pretty sure that my ring gear is becoming warn on the starter mating side (see attached picture - I have included a picture of the starter as well for reference). My main questions are: What is involved in this repair? Are there any additional things (rear main seal, throw-out bearing, etc...) I should be replacing since I will be in there? Any tips or recommendations on transmission maintenance since it will be out of the jeep?
STARTER.jpeg
RING GEAR.jpeg

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
To clarify a "flexplate" goes with an automatic transmission. A "flywheel" with a stick trans. Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me,old age, you have a automatic based on the flexplate pic. . Every flywheel Ive ever seen was solid which is where I get my thought. Some vehicles use a replaceable ring gear. Take a good steel chisle and in a valley between the teeth a few good smacks with a BFH and it splits the ring gear. Freeze the flywheel and heat the new ring gear and quickly drop it on and wallah, your in business. In your case the ring gear is welded to the flex plate or flywheel if im wrong here. The starter looks ok but inspect it closely and there are some ground up teeth on the ring gear. Regardless, if your gonna pull things apart, then yes, fix what you can afford while in there as opposed to doing it again sooner than later if leaks show up from the rear main etc. Same goes for a stick trans. New clutch set up is worth the investment if your gonna tear into things.
 
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Also you need to define "rough start" Is the starter grinding or clunking like there's missing teeth on the ring gear or is the engine starting but running rough?

I see in your profile you have an automatic transmission and that does look like the flex plate for an auto. No clutch so no throw out bearing for a clutch.
 
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So its a bit hard to explain but the engine itself runs fine after start up. The starting itself - and problems associated - vary from start to start. Sometimes there's grinding on the start, like the starter gear isn't engaging properly or skipping over worn or broken teeth (sounds like the engine is sputtering or backfiring while trying to start) - though I didn't see any when I was inspecting the flex plate. Other times the starter just stops cranking in the middle of the start sequence and whines as if the gear is stuck and not engaging the flex plate - spinning freely.

I have had the torque converter as well as some other parts replaced after my trans pump blew out in the past but will be putting in a new rear main seal when I attempt the job.
 
In the middle of the pic you can see what looks like some ground down teeth. I wouldn't think thats enough to cause a good working starter to no engage the flex plate, but if there is a bad enough burrs on the gears edges then perhaps its preventing the starter from engaging 100%. May be a short term fix if it even works for you but replacing the starter may do the trick. Nothing like paying a shop a bundle to do the trans and then having to pull it again shortly after due to this. Worst case is the new starter will get messed up after a while.
 
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That's a great point. I wonder if replacing the starter gear might even be a cost effective short-term solution until I can get the funds together to replace the flex plate and everything else. I suspect this will become a horseshoe nail story and I will end up getting more than I bargained for.
 
Im thinking its an internal issue with the starter bendix. From the pic the gear looks good but if its not engaging right due to internal wear that whats causing the problem. The bendix pushes the gear out to engage the ring gear. if its worn out it wont work right. A new starter is about $65 on rockauto. Might be worth a go ya know.
 
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I think your dead on. Now that I'm thinking about it, I was filling up the jeep a while back (around the time the issues were at their worst), it started up sputtering and before the engine turned over the sequence was interrupted by what sounded like the starter freewheeling. This was followed by a light puff of smoke from the starter location. The jeep wouldn't start after the smoke so I disconnected the positive battery terminal (this always seemed to stop the issues in the past) and it fired up no problem - there were no more problems starting for the rest of that day. I replaced this starter about two years ago - might be time for a new one.
 
Alright, so I replaced the starter on the jeep and now I'm getting a plethora of other issues. Every now and again the jeep starts perfectly and runs great but more so than not there is grinding of the starter gears or the starter will make a loud ticking noise while the dash gauges go haywire (tachometer and speedometer fly left and right while starter grinds gears or ticks). Sometimes during the sequence the starter will stop grinding and whine like its freewheeling. Other times it will just not turnover at all and there will be silence with the gauges going crazy. My courtesy lights will remain on throughout this madness and do not dim anymore than they do when the jeep used to start.

In the past I had a bad ECU and had the capacitors replaced with no problems since. That was 4-5 years ago but maybe the ECU is going bad again? The check engine light does not come on the few times it starts.

I checked my battery voltage and I am at a strong 12.7V - my battery cables have no corrosion on them and are tight and good to go. I cleaned off the ground bolt coming from the battery on the coil support bolt when I replaced the starter. The only thing I haven't checked so far is the secondary ground lead coming off of the battery which might be the problem. Any ideas? Has anyone run into this before??
 
Ouch...obviously sounds like your getting electrical system flame outs. if your holding the key firmly against the starter/starting position and its doing that I be thinking ignition switch down on the steering column. My 91 occasionally will not light up the gauges unless I very slightly wiggle the key after its started then the gauges come back on. Electrical can be really frustrating especially when its intermittent like with your goings on.
 
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Great suggestion - That's actually the first thing I checked because I replaced the steering column and rebuilt the cluster under the dash. Turns out there was a faulty ground connected to the AC compressor!! moved it to the block on the opposite side of the starter ground and cleaned all negative and positive battery connections and everything starts and runs perfectly now. I am thinking of running a third ground to the frame considering there only seems to be two going from the battery to the block and then one to the tub. As a part of my routine maintenance I am going to make sure those connections are clean and well maintained. There is a great lesson learned here - the old "keep your grounds clean and don't throw parts at a problem!" lesson, learned hard this time. Thanks everyone for your help and I hope this can help someone down the road who has similar issues.
 
Yes, grounds are a huge consideration and many of us run aux grounds from the body to the frame to the engine ect because of problems. Probably get flamed for this comment but AMC,DC & Jeep electrical systems leave a bit to be desired. Order some ground straps, clean to bright metal and bolt them in place. Definitely worth checking all the factory stuff as well.
 
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Thanks guys! I am taking Gilaguy23's advice and putting in a ground strap to the frame and checking over the factory wiring for any worrisome ware and tear. There has to be a ground to the frame somewhere - but adding another wont hurt. Any ideas on good locations and ways to approach putting the new ground on?
 
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