start without a flywheel

Did you ever start an engine without a flywheel? In 1965 I saw a guy (in a junkyard) start a Max Wedge Mopar laying on it's side and reved it up to show me that it was a good one. He advised me to never start one without the flywheel or the torque converter on it. The price of the motor was $150. and I turned it down!

 

I thought the starter ring gear was on the flywheel.How did he start it?

 

In 1965 I saw a guy (in a junkyard) start a Max Wedge Mopar laying on it's side and reved it up to show me that it was a good one. He advised me to never start one without the flywheel or the torque converter on it. The price of the motor was $150.



Just how did he crank it without a flywheel? HRP

 

Starting it without a flywheel is not a good practice, and not an easy feat...unless you are good at pull starting a V-8...Also the result in an engine that requires the flywheel for balance could be very harmful. The torque converter does not have to be on the engine though. The harmonic balancer is required though.

 

the OP is asking can it be done. The wrecking yard guy started it conventionally, and then issued the warning. I couldn't even begin to imagine how one would start any kind of a larger car engine without the ring gear in place. Wrecking yard guy was basically just dreaming crap up. Next nugget of wisdom was likely going to be a caution about starting an engine when the cylinder heads are off.

 

yes, if you mean without using the flywheel. 1911 lozier, bunch of model tees, model A, 1907 cadillac and a few others i have used the hand crank.

 

Did not say that he started it without but I think that some engines have a flexplate that could accomidate a starter drive.

 

Well.... there is a difference between a flywheel and a flex plate. So you could start an engine with only the flexplate (not a Mopar though) and have no flywheel or TC.

The bigger issue to me is why an idiot would start an engine that is lying on its side...I'll bet the oil system loved that.

 

Read the OP without dreaming up a wierd answer before.

 

The question is have any one of you actually seen an engine running without a flywleel? Not some goofy girly shit about a starter rope or some such shit.

 

how are you starting it? magic?

 

Yes. I have seen them started with no flywheel. They were cranked with a ring gear attached to a flexplate. I have also seen smaller engine, such as a flathead 4 Ford, running with nothing attached to the crankshaft. It was started with a hand crank.

 

Read the post.

 

Flywheel/flexplate: same fricking thing!!

 

Super modified and sprint cars (oval track) run no flywheels. They ae pushed off in gear before a race. To stop you must either shut off engine or take out of gear. Once out of gear while running, it must be shut off again before putting in gear to push off once more.

 

There ya go a real answer.

 

No a flywheel is heavy and a flexplate is lite.

 

The starter rope is directed at the guy that said that to you…. Not you relax FNG

 

So far he's gotten 7 posts out of this thread. Give him a few more minutes and he'll be an Old School HAMBer.

 

are you looking for a list of engines that are balanced by the flywheel? or what is the point of the question?

 

Well I might have misread that. I just want an answer from someone who has seen it and I think that I have it.

 

So an aluminum flywheel is not a flywheel?

Some diesel engines with a pony engine starter were belt driven off a pulley on the front.

 

What are you doing now?

 

Yes an aluminum flywheel is a flywheel- Read the OP.

 

Ihad a 65 Falcon that some put a 351 in and problems with mounting a starter so thay put a generator/starter on it and used it to start it. Dont think it would hurt an engine to start it without a flywheel even if it was external balanced as long as it was not rapped out to red line.

 

But when you started it did it have a flywheel or converter on it?

 

Who's on first

 

I didn't start it that way but years ago just before the traps my clutch blew taking out the flywheel and jaming the scater shield into the throttle. I was doing over 100 mph in my channelled '34 B altered 5 window Ford with a full Olds engine. I hit the kill switch as it passed 6000 RPM or it would have come apart.

 

It's not a good practice but I actually saw a guy drive a Z28 camaro 5 miles with no oil in the pan as the plug had come out. I have actually purposfully drained the oil from my car to pick up a tenth or so. But it had better be an important race!