Strange failure: Starter AND flywheel cogs ripped

[lars11]

On the volvo penta 5.0 (GM) the starter started to freeze, then unfroze and then loud chatter; Found out that:
1. the platerary wheels in the starter had two cogs broken off
2. when looking at the starter hole, I found that four or five cogs on the flywheel was also ripped

No wonder there was bad noise when starting....

Question 1: Have anyone experienced this before? I never heard of it...
Question 2: What could have beed the failure mode? I can't get it. Did the starter lock and then rip the flywheel? Something else?
Question 3: Now I have to remove that V8 from the engine bay, not my summer plan at all. Anything in particular to consider when replacing that cogged ring on the flywheel?

 

[440Magnum]

Chevys and starter shims . The pinion depth has probably been wrong for a long, long, time and it finally tore up the starter output shaft bearings and that tore up everything else.

Just guessing without looking at it, but a mis-shimmed Chevy starter is the most teeth-itching sound mankind has yet created.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Yes I have. A Ford Ranger with this problem.... all aftermarket starters had the wrong number of teeth on the bendix, causing loosening.

Quote:
ymptoms of a nine tooth starter with a flywheel designed for a ten tooth will be constant loosening of the starter bolts and chips out of the nine tooth bendix, usually chips one tooth, and will chip them all to where the bendix will no longer "slide" into the ring gear, thus it will just "spin" and not engage.


This was a Ford 1980's problem.

 

[BrocLuno]

Yours is not the only one to ever have it happen... Bad install and the starter started coming loose. Then it started tearing things up. Eventually it tore up the bendix and that ate the ring gear.

The local machine shop can sweat on a new ring gear. Get a good rebuilt starter and set it up right

 

[lars11]

ok, thanks. will lift that engine out in the fall. [censored], why didn't it just rip the starter...?

 

[DoubleWasp]

I've seen that too. I've seen starters blow out the solenoid arm straight out of the case.