eaten up 2 flywheels in 2 yrs

[warriorpluto]

what can be the cause of my 87 mustang eating up two flywheels in two years. changed the starter three times already. today when i try to start up my car i get the damned starter grind. i felt my heart sink. checked the starter bolts and both are tightened. ive been going through this ever since i bought the car back in 2006. the car is all stock with the exception of shorty headers which i just installed last week. would the motor mount or tranny mounts need to be replaced? because of all this trouble for the past years ive been forced to sit my car up and drive my girlfriends v6 99 camaro. i really need help on this one. i need my muscle back!!! tranny is an automatic.
(imagine going to your local store and come back out to crank up the car and getting that grind....embarrassing)

 

[Fast63]

I think it is better to refer to the part as a flexplate instead of a flywheel. It is actually a flywheel, but usually people say flywheel for manuals and flexplates for autos.

But what exactly is going wrong with your flexplates? Are the teeth getting chewed up? Are you using a starter that is for a 157 tooth flexplate, but you really have a 164 tooth or vice versa? Does it even matter? Is there any spacers or plates between the transmission bellhousing and the block, or are any missing that would cause the starter to not be properly spaced?

Getting those questions answered will help get you started on what is going on.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Yeah, I would check and see if the spacer plate is between the flywheel and block. That spacers the trans and block a tad. Not much, but it's there for a reason.

 

[warriorpluto]

yeah i have the block plate in between the tranny and the motor. i counted the teeth before it was installed. was 154. and what about the starter? i have a mini starter lying under my bed but never used/ should i put that on when i get the new flywheel installed?