To start out I need to set the stage. I bought a90 FWD from a cousin, it had lost compression on number 3 so I was gonna fix it. A couple months down the road a friend found and purchased a 91 AWD that had been ran extremely hot. I eventualy purchased this car, and started building the 90 block and head to go into it Let the story begin!

Yesterday was to be the day that the motor "goes" in. I had already been making sure that the correct 91 parts had been located around the shop to use on the install. I figured out that the water pipe from a 90 was differnt so I rounded up the right one. About the time my friend, who sold me the car, came over to help we realized that the oil filter bracket was different, so we changed it. Not to bad of a day so far. I had put on most of the accesories and was about ready to put the timing cover on. My friend was installing my prothane mount inserts, when we went to put the rear mount in the car, we realized that it wouldn't work. Another friend had destroyed my factory mount trying to remove the factory insert and I had picked this one up at a junk yard. a 1990 2.0 non turbo subframe motor mount is different? Go figure....

Oh well, at this time I just want to get the awd trans on, and call it a day. So we put the flywheel on and the clutch. As I'm torquing the clutch bolt to the flywheel, I think "man this thing sure isn't getting much tighter" about that time the head snaps right off the bolt I was torquing. As I frantically look around for a drll bit to fit the ease out and my friend says "hey don't worry about it, I'll just twist it out by hand". It was actually still loose, he used the ease out to get it moving and it came right out. At that point I thought the DSM gods were with me, and things were getting better. Man was I wrong,

We put the clutch back on, tourqued it down, installed the throw out bearing and greased everything. Then we started to put the trans on. It hit something, It wouldn't go any farther foward. After looking for a minute I realized that the flywheels were differnt! I never knew this. I had just taken the 90 FWD flywheel to the machine shop and had it surfaced. I never thought about a differnce, It is actually a little bigger on the clutch side.... the bell housing was hitting it. I called it a day and went to the house. I hope that I have better luck on my next day of wrenching in the shop.....

To relate to the topic, I have a question. Is the whole flywheels' diameter different in the FWD one is larger, whereas the atcual gear around the flywheel where the starter connects to, of just the clutch area. I am having the same porblem, for my starter just spins by itself without any engagement to the flywheel. I have a fwd car, but it scares me to beleiev that I machined an awd flywheel. I feel for you on the problems your having I am going through a whole episode myself.

While I was looking at the two flywheels side by side, the FWD had more area on the clutch side, the teeth for the starter were to the other side.. The AWD flywheel, had the teeth in the middle of the flywheel. This could be your problem If you need to see a difference Ill try to get a camera and take a picture of it.

If you need a flywheel, I have one that is freshly surfaced, that I have no need for. If you're intersted.... and if your running a 6 bolt....

Good luck.

This sounds like it could be my exact problem, if uts not to much of an inconvenience for you, a picture would be helpful, (also to prove to parents ). Thank you for your help, I didn't realize that the depth factor was different as well. Yes I am running a 6 bolt of course. The only other problem that I can think of that's causing all of this would be the starter being of different design when in comparison to a 1g design or 6 bolt. If there is no difference, then crap on me for not double checking. As of right now I have the old clutch installed, yes I should have put a new one in, but I want to make sure my engine ran correctly before I messed with the clutch. Now I am debating just going and doing the whole flywheel/clutch assembly all at once and be done with it. Just wondering, how much do you want for that flywheel?

Nevermind, I dropped the tranny today, took off the flywheel and held it up to my fwd one, 7 bolt. Well, turns out that the awd flywheel is infact smaller in size diameter wise, the ring gear was about 1/4 inch to far in the whole way around ( obviously) which made it to be just that much too small whereas the starter pinion gear won't contact the flywheel. Therefore, I am in need of a 6 bolt FWD flywheel. Now I have two flywheels and no use for either of them. Fantastic.