BMW Blog

so i am ready to instal a brand new flywheel on the AMC 360 crank...i line up the holes and start threading in the bolts. i realize i forgot to slip the spacer in so i remove the bolts and go to pull the flywheel off the crank.... and the damn starter ring gear come loose! i took the flywheel off to look at it and the gear easily pulled right off!

now, i am new to some of this, but i have never come across this deal.
is there something i don't know?
what do i do? how does the thing stay together?
i see the old flexplate (use to be auto) the gear is welded to the plate...

whats going on?
help please!
It's supposed to be a press fit onto the flywheel, and a fairly tight one at that I believe, sounds like either the wrong ring gear or a flywheel that's not machined right.
Take it back to whom ever you purchased it from. You are lucky this happened before everything was installed. There is no way this should happen. The ring gear is a interferes fit and should never just fall off.
Just take it to a local machine shop. They can press a new ring gear on for a few bucks. Not a big deal. Actually you should probably press on a new ring gear with a rebuild anyway. good practice and makes your starter live longer. worth the money.
Oh, by the way, don't try to weld a bead on it. Those things are pretty carfully balanced. The weight of the bead might give you some ugly harmonics.
thanks guys for the info!
i thought they were just pressed on...and ya, welding would not be the best idea! i thought about it for a split second...!
i'll see what my local machinist has to say. or contact the place i got it from. the PITA is i bought it about 6 months ago and just now got around to using it.

thanks again.