I was getting a horrible grinding sound every time i cranked my car its an automatic 96 GST. The grinding started after i took the starter off to change my intake manifold gasket. When i put it back together i got this horrible grinding noise. The grinding got so bad that my buddie was standing outside and he saw sparks coming out from around the starter. After this i stopped cranking the car. My next step was to turn the engine over manually to see if i could hear any strange noise sure enough didnt hear anything. I decided to take the starter off and bench test it it seemed fine. I still decided to give some friends a call and my cousin offered to for him to let me borrow his starter just to check if that was the problem. SO i went over pulled it off his car brought it home put it on mine tighten it down cranked the car, and sure enough the grinding was there but this time the engine got stuck and it wouldnt turn manually. I took the starter off and everything was fine engine spun freely. After that i remembered that last time i took the tranny off i noticed my flex plate was a little bend on one of the corners. SO now i decided to take the tranny off and inspect the flex plate i have the transmission down i was just wondering if you guys could help me and give me ideas/pointers of other things to look at. I also forgot to add that the TC has all the teeth its not really worn out just looks shiny where the starter has been hitting. Any advice will help or pointers please this grinding noise is driving me crazy.

Just in case you don't know you can NOT use a manual starter on an auto car.
If you were getting the grinding noise chances are you just had it cocked kind of funny. Do you have the starter spacer plate in there?
Most of the time if it didn't do it before you just need to tweek it a tad to get it to stop.

Both of the starters where off automatics.
I actually took it off moved it re tighten a couple time thought it was an alignment problem but no nothing changed just didnt add that because i felt the thread was already a little too long. Also the spacer plate is there. Just doesnt seem to add up that one moment was fine and the next its grinding.

Just so you know, the starters are all the same FWD, AWD, Auto, Manual. It is the plates that are different.

biglady112 said:

Just so you know, the starters are all the same FWD, AWD, Auto, Manual. It is the plates that are different.

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And wrong again tard... Auto and manual are DIFFERENT.
Go look it up. Or better yet come on over to my house and I will show you the differences.

Well I really don't know If they're but both I used where autos you guys have any pointers I'm putting the tranny back in this weekend and I need a bit of help still

*the same

I really need help on this one i already bought a new starter and its still grinding really need some advice anyone?

Make sure its not hitting the plate that goes between the transmission and engine. I had a wrong angle on the starter. And also make sure you got a automatic starter. There are different starters for 1g auto and manual also 2g manual and auto. Let us know if you get it.

What did you figure out with this?

I havent been on here on a while but for anyone that wants to know i never found a solution to this problem. I ended up parting the car out.