Morning Jag-heads,

I searched and found two threads which touched on this problem, but I'm hopeful for some additional details. I even tried PMing one of the posters, but he/she does not receive PMs so hence this thread...

My '05 manual transmission is making grinding noises just after ignition. Before taking her into the shop I would like to learn a few things for myself and try cleaning the starter. I had heard that clutch dust can gum up the works and a cleaning and proper lubrication may fix the problem.

I think I can get the starter out just fine, but I was wondering if there is a specific cleaning and/or lubrication agent or tool that I need to use? Can you share any advice on the cleaning process?

Thanks in advance!

 

My 04 auto does the same thing i hope we get help with this because it bugs me alot.

 

Andahaion, as for a cleaning agent, stick with good old WD-40 and a clean rag. Get the starter out of the car, spray in some WD-40 and start wiping. Add more WD_40 periodically to help keep the gum loose. Then you can also use your finger to move the gear inside the starter to make sure that it moves freely.

If you see that the edges of the teeth have raised metal edges, you can take a fine file and trim those edges down. You don't want to really remove the metal off of the teeth, you just want to square the edges back up.

 

You are the man with all the answers. You should run for Congress and get things sorted out for us! I will get on this and report back to the forum on any improvements. Thanks Thermo. (Oh and I still have those IMT seals to do if you're around this weekend. Send me a PM and we can work it out.)

 

I would use something like WD40 and and air
its a good cleaner and its lubricating properties although little and short lasting will not attract clutch friction material.

 

Just closing this loop: was unsuccessful in even getting the starter off the car. For some reason I just couldn't get to the solenoid electrical connector. So, called my fav shop and am having them replace the darn thing. Kind of bummed myself out.

There is good news, I was able to successfully replace the IMT o-rings. Installed new green ones. The top one came right out and I stretched the bottom ring carefully in place. Worked like you all advised. So thank you for that.

 

I really hate to scare you with this, but when I was dealing with my clutch problems, I did a good amount of research about dual-mass flywheel (DMF) problems. One of the lesser themes that I saw in my findings was some discussion of metal filings on the starter gear being a result of excessive play in the DMF. I don't recall the reference, so I'd be hard pressed to point you to a URL, but I'm bringing this up as something that you might want to investigate. Whether through some Google-searching detective work, or perhaps you can get a feel for flywheel play when you get the starter out, but I want to bring it up so that it's on your radar. At a minimum, ask your shop to educate themselves about the general operation of a *DUAL-MASS* flywheel.

Again - I'm not trying to be alarmist, but DMF failure will make for a mighty expensive starter repair. Look into it.

 

Thanks for the heads-up, Mr. Rothe. In researching my problem, I did read your posts from September and (fingers crossed) I really think that it's just my starter failing to properly disengage. I haven't had any other symptoms, other than the the grinding noise just after start up which occurs only when cold. All other startups during the day do not produce any grinding noises, it starts up as it should. But, your advice is well taken and I'm lucky enough to have a pretty good relationship with my mechanic to convey this information.

Thanks again, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I'll report back again when I have news.

 

It's been a few days since the shop replaced the starter. Good news is there's no longer any grinding noise. For future reference, attached is a picture of the old starter. You can clearly see that it was quite dirty and the gear did not move freely at all.

So, big thanks to the forum for the help. My only regret is that I was unable to change this out myself. I wonder if there's a special tool needed to get to that little solenoid connector? I'm not sure how anyone short of a pre-teen Chinese gymnast could have gotten their hands/fingers and tool in there to remove. Guess that says enough about my abilities...but it feels good taking care of business (TCB).