How do I turn the engine without starting?
 

I posted a little while back about my starter and pulling out some chunks of metal, the starter teeth look fine so I suspect it might be the starter ring gear or something in there. It made a very loud grinding metal noise when I would try to start the car but I can't tell if it the starter ring gear teeth because I can only see a little of it. Someone told me to take the spark plugs off and then to turn the bolt to turn the engine, but I have no idea where this bolt is or why I would need to pull the spark plugs. Could someone please tell me where to find this thing that will let me turn the engine without starting it so I can find out if I need to replace the ring gear? Thanks. What I pulled out by the way was a broken piece of what seems to be a polished metal tube, doesn't look like teeth or anything.

It is in the center of the crankshaft pulley. 24mm TUrn it with a soicket wrench - turn the engine clockwise.

AFJuvat

Did the tube look like the shinny end of one of these?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1082426215.jpg

If so it's one of the sensors -- speed or reference.

The front of the crank is where the large bolt is.

The reason to take the spark plugs out is to reduce the rotation resistance from engine compression. Makes it easier to figure out where the noise is coming from.

How do I change it?
 

It looks like the tubes in the pictures, but they look like they are not hollow, mine is deifinitely hollow, assuming it still was one of the sensors, what would I have to do to replace it, or could I check them by pulling them without doing a huge job like taking the whole transmission down?, thanks for the help.

Here's the pics of the broken piece
 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1082434890.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1082434918.jpg

Hmm...

Looks like the end bushing to the starter. Better have a rebuilder look at the starter. Don't exchange it for a rebuild.

KInd of looks like a penny....

and one of those stretched out pennies you get at Disneyland.

:D

Or it could be one of 100 miscellaneous objects that falls through the inspection hole at the top of the bell housing...... but it does look a lot like an end bushing like SoCal says.... but there is nothing else in that area that would look like that.

Ok I looked at the starter bushing, it looks fine, I tried to reattach the starter but just to the wires so I could see if it ran, it didn't. I pushed it up against the exhaust and it made a spark and started running. It seems I have a ground problem. I took it off again and noticed I had broken the positive terminal on the solenoid, it is still attached to the solderred piece of metal but it seems to have broken off the screw like thing, it seems the "screw" isn't even metal, it's ceramic, why is this? Well I took it off again and this time hooked it up directly to the battery, it only seems to do anything when I hook the positive terminal of the battery to the positive terminal of the starter and the negative terminal of the battery to the part that has a wire running into the starter. In other words, I am not attaching it to the negative part of the solenoid, I am attaching it to the third prong that is on it. This seems to create a spark and makes the starter jump, the part that comes out to engage the flywheel pops out but doesn't turn. It does this everytime, I tried touching the negative to the starter itself and there are certain parts where bare metal is exposed and it will actually make the starter run but then it dies slowly, meaning it starts spinning but it slows down and then stops. I also noticed that the ground terminal, the part that I am not touching at all, not only doesn't do anything, but it seems to be loose, like the whole screw/bolt itself is loose, it doesn't seem to be able to tighten by simple screwing so I don't know what to do. The piece that I broke (the little terminal aka the positive terminal) still seems to be able to conduct electtricity eventhough the screw/bolt it was on is broken from it. I was trying to remove the solenoid by taking off the 3 screws that hold it but I stripped one of them and I don't know what to do, I took the 2 other ones off but I can't do anything now. Please help guys/girls I need to get this car moving. Thanks for any help. Sorry about the loooooooong post

Get it rebuild.

can I rebuild myself
 

Ok I opened up the starter itself and the white plastic casing that holds the ring gear is broken, the black 3 little black plastic clips are also broken, is there anyway i could rebuild it myself, where can I get a kit, I searched on yahoo but nothing.

OR

I found a late 1986 944 automatic starter but not sure if this would work for a manual, please someone get back to me soon because the sooner I order it the sooner I can get this car working again.