Anyone know how many teeth on the 3.8 flywheel???

[12secondv6]

Well, a problem with my stock starter has shown up so it is time to replace it.
I might as well go to a mini starter for weight reduction.

I have looked through summit's catalog and they have made reference to a 58 and a 63 tooth gm flywheel.

My shop mentioned that starters are pretty much universal you just need to know how many teeth on it.

Any input on this??
I'm looking to do it asap.
I don't want to go out and buy a flywheel turning tool and get under my car and turn the flywheel/ engine by hand.

Thanks for any help

[12secondv6]

Update:
Well, it was either 168 or 153 tooth flywheel.
summit refered me to power master.
They unfortunately do not have a mini starter.
They informed me the v8 and the v6 starter is completely different :(

Crap, looks like a stock one must go in there [img]graemlins/thumbsdown.gif[/img]

[TurboProject]

I realize this thread is ancient but I am hunting down a mini-starter for my car(3.4). I need a smaller one for turbo pipe clearance but less weight is always a good thing.

Does the 3.8 starter have straight across bolts or are they staggered? The 3.4's are staggered and I found a starter off a late model big block chevy truck that looks VERY close. It mounts to a bare 3.4 block I have in the garage. I just need to see now if the gear meshes up alright.

[tdz16]

The gears might look like they mesh up alright but after a whole turn they may want to skip teeth just from the slight number difference. I've not heard of mini starters for either 3.4 or 3.8, honestly.

[TurboProject]

I'll find out tomorrow.
The Chevy Power book talks about small block and big block starters. There are 14" diameter flywheels w/ 168 teeth on them and there are 12.75" flywheels with 153 teeth. They say the only functional difference btwn starters used for each is the nose of the starter. One has parallel bolt holes(for the smaller flywheel), the other staggered(for the larger flywheel). I think the staggered one gives more clearance for the bigger flywheel.

The one I found is a production starter, off a big block, which apparently uses the bigger flywheel because of it's staggered bolt holes.

[ August 13, 2005, 01:26 AM: Message edited by: TurboProject ]

[pontiac nino]

Hey I have a flywheel off an auto 3.4, should be the same as the t-5 flywheels right? If you want I can look for it when I get home and count the teeth.
Nino

[TurboProject]

yea, I have one too, along w/ another t5 flywheel. It has 148 teeth and is 12.25" - 12.375" in diameter. The smaller small block chevy flywheels have 153 teeth and are 12.75" in diameter. But if my smaller one had 153 teeth they'd have to be spaced closer together. So I think there's a good chance the starter will work! [img]graemlins/rock.gif[/img]

[pontiac nino]

Cool! I hope you get it working then, thats quite a bit of space if you end up using the ministarter after all.
Goodluck with that!

[tdz16]

I dunno, there's a lot of physics and math gurus around here that'd probably side with me when I say that if the diameter of the flywheels are different, then it won't work. It'd make the gear spacing tighter on the flywheel of your car, while the spacing of the starter teeth is set up for a small block flywheel. You won't get them to mesh correctly, at worst you'll rip teeth off the flywheel if they don't stay meshed, at best it'll just whine like a SOB. I'd say redesign the pipes for the turbo if anything, just leave the starter alone. You're askin for more trouble than its worth I think.
~Tom

[TurboProject]

Originally posted by tdz16:
...if the diameter of the flywheels are different, then it won't work. It'd make the gear spacing tighter on the flywheel of your car, while the spacing of the starter teeth is set up for a small block flywheel...~Tom

That would be true if it kept the same number of teeth but mine has less. I'm optomistic. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[tdz16]

....or u could just completely ditch the starter and have your gf go out and spin the motor by hand with a breaker bar and socket....

...or roll it down a hill and just pop the clutch everytime....

:)