New here and new to 240's. We used to own an 05 XC90 and loved it. I always wanted a 245. About two months ago I got an 89 244 and have been fixing it up to give to a kid in our church. Last week I was lucky enough to get a really straight 88 245. It had been sitting about a year because the owner said it needed a new flex plate. When you turn the key you get the typical spin of a starter motor like the bendix isn't engaging. I rolled the car forward a little and it fired off and I drove it home. I dropped the lower bell housing cover and cranked the flex plate around. There are some small scratches on the flex plate and what I consider minor wear but no broken teeth. I pulled the starter. It is a new one from Oreilly's the PO put on when he first had these problems but it obviously did not solve his problems. I took it to two parts stores and it tested fine at both. I reinstalled and cleaned all checked all the grounds. I even ran a jumper from the negative post to the started housing to ensure a good ground. Same result, it just spins. I had my wife try and start it while I watched the flex plate with the bell housing cover still off. You see the flex plate just barely budge and then the starter just spins. Should I assume this starter is just junk and won't perform under load or should I look at somethin else?

 

OK - if you have a 1988 without an engine speed sensor -

The engine stops in about the same place every time - SO - if there are damaged teeth on the flexplate - the starter will attempt to engage those bad teeth every time.

The good news is if your distributor has a hall sensor in it - thereby controlling the ignition and fuel injection - if the flexplate is damaged - you can simply change the position of the flywheel on the crankshaft. 8 bolt flywheel - simply unbolt it and move it a couple of bolt holes. Sure you have to remove the tran to do this - but you won't have to source a used /new flexplate.

 

So I have rotated the crank around to various and numerous positions and get the same result. I just don't see any significant damage on the flex plate.

 

Sounds like a logical conclusion.