why does flywheel (driveplate) eat (cut off) front of starter ? please read complete question ! 3.3 nissan?

Question

i bought a 97 pathfinder. was told the engine had been changed to a newer model. dont know what year. just 3.3 nissan. trans is automatic 250. all parts stores say this is the right starter. nissan says this is the right starter & the right flywheel.i did take it out. took flywheel & starter. showed them to nissan parts deptment & auto parts stores. there are no numbers stamped in flywheel. but nissan says it is the right one. everyone sayes ! the teeth have groves that face the starter. this is the way i put it back in. it still eates 3/8 of an inch off the front of the starter. i had nissan order right starter? same as old one! want work. plan to take flywheel back out and order new one. nissan claimes thier is no factory shem for this vehicle. iguess i will have to make a 1/2 inch shem. really dont to. would rather have proper factory parts. does anyone know where i can get information i need. maybe someone out there has had this prblem. or better yet solved it before.if nissan does

Answer 1

Ok now go out and find the gussets there just thick enough to get the starter back 8 mm or 5/16 inch I bet that will just clear the teeth.

Answer 2

First thing. You need to know what year model the "new engine" came from, there may be changes from one year to another. Second. Bell housing, is it original to the engine or transmission? It could make a difference if it was a manual shift bell housing. Third. starter spacers/shims, did it originally have a spacer between the starter and the bell housing. What you need to do is get a quality service manual that would show you the assembly "blow up," or schematic of how it all goes together for the year model of the engine you have, not the year model of the car.

Don't depend on answers from parts (counter) men. More often than not, they do not know what they are talking about. All they do is cross refrence part numbers. You tell tham what you want and they find it in a book or on a computer if they or you get it right. I can't tell you how many times I've been given the wrong part over the counter from well meaning parts people. They don't work on them they just deliver parts (to you).

Answer 3

look around the engine try to find some kind of serial number to pin point what engine is truly in there so you can order the right flywheel and get to know what engine is in there .