TCI flexplate

[Batman]

Well was having some issues with my car after the swap to an A4. Car runs great but after about 5 miles makes this horrible whining noise. First I thought the tranny had a bad pump so I packed it up and sent it back to the builder who found nothing wrong with it. Checked everything again, re-installed the trans and same problem. Spent an hour on the phone again with the builder and found the bendix drive on my starter was bad. Replaced the starter, same problem. Pull the starter and after 2 miles the bendix drive is shot again. WTF?!? So I call TCI (their customer service sucks BTW) and they say it is the torque converter. Well since the converter is new and just checked out I start measuring some stuff. Turns out the TCI flexplate (one specifically for Gen III engines) sits close to a tenth of an inch closer to the engine then a stock flexplate which, in turn, causes it to constatntly engage the starter. So now I am fuming and call TCI again and they tell me you need spacers for it. Now when the flexplate came there was no spacers or mention of the need for spacers so he guides me to a little blurb like 10 pages into their website where it says you need spacers. Guess I should have surfed their whole page looking to see if I need spacers for an engine specific flexplate. I would have even been OK if they told me one of the 4 times I talked to them I need spacers but instead I shelled out about $700.00 worth of parts and shipping because of them. To make a long(er) story short I am taking their flexplate, throwing it in the garbage and telling everyone I know not to buy anything form TCI, they are a crappy company to deal with.

[johnjzjz]

shimming the starter gear is not a big deal 35 percent of the cars out their have a shim or two and the flywheel is not at fault like you think, their is a way to fix gear to gear mesh ( starter Bendix to flywheel ) take off the solenoid on the starter it is easy, you do not have to but its way easer to check with it off install the starter than using a screwdriver carefully pull the gear ( BENDIX ) out of the starter all the way--- sometimes you can reach around the starter and operate the plunger ( thats the piece inside the soloniod ) in and out if you have the room for your hand --- and what you want to measure is the gap just like a spark plug but ( GEAR TO GEAR ) and .025 is what you are looking to have ( MAX ) --- ( we have cut some old feeler gagues to do this as they are to wide to slide in between the gears ) with out any shims the gear will be right against the flywheel gear so tight the starter wont return on its own, it will get jammed and that is why your starters are burning up, when the starter gear is jammed the whine is the small gear spining at high speed against the ring gear ( flywheel ) i know it would be better if you didn't have to shim it but thats why they make shims and any auto parts store will carry a shim kit or sell them as singles, my guess you may need a .015 or more to correct the gear mesh don't buy anything else till you correct that NOTE the shims come in different thicknesses so you can dial it right in --- the starter needs to work HOT as well as cold so looser is better we try to get it around .015 jz

[Batman]

I shimmed the starter .015 and it was the same, then .030 and it was too far off the flexplate for good engagement, the problem isn't in the starter, it is the distance between the flexpalte and the starter longitudinally, not vertically. The flexpalte would need to be shimmed away from the crankshaft, not the starter from the block. TCI has admitted it is a common problem with the flexplate.

[V]

batman, i understand exactly what you are saying, shims are to bring the starter up and down, the problem, you are having is a front/back issue. Thats stupid that a engine specific flywheel needs spacers, right there that tells me to stay away from it. If i ever need something like a flexplate in the future, i'll definately think twice about them. I'm possibly doing a ls1/th350 setup in a few years so thanks for the heads up.

[johnjzjz]

Originally Posted by Batman

I shimmed the starter .015 and it was the same, then .030 and it was too far off the flexplate for good engagement, the problem isn't in the starter, it is the distance between the flexpalte and the starter longitudinally, not vertically. The flexpalte would need to be shimmed away from the crankshaft, not the starter from the block. TCI has admitted it is a common problem with the flexplate.

i dident get that when i read it just thought i would try to help jz

[Batman]

Originally Posted by johnjzjz

i dident get that when i read it just thought i would try to help jz

Not a problem, BTW I switched to a stock flexplate and all is well in transmission land now.