Are All 4.6 Flywheels the Same Dimensions?

[Oldopels]

 

Are all flywheel dimensions the same and therefore interchangeable?

I have a 4.6 gems engine that was originally mated to an automatic gearbox but I have swapped this for a manual flywheel for a LT77 box.

I found a NOS manual flywheel and fitted it without too much thought but sometimes, only sometimes, the starter doesn’t engage properly and there is a terrible gnashing of teeth. (Mine and the flywheel!)

The possibilities I have considered are;

1) The manual flywheel sits too far from the starter and the solenoid can’t throw the gear far enough and I may need a different starter?

2) My original starter and manual flywheel configuration are fine but the started is playing up and needs refurb or replacement?

3) The flywheel I bought wasn’t actually a P38 manual flywheel at all 😬?

4) I’m an idiot?

5) Any combination of the above.

If you know what’s causing the problem or better still know the answer I’d love to hear from you.

 

Thanks in advance.

[FridgeFreezer]

As far as I've ever found they're all interchangeable, give or take details like dowel locations or sensor rings. I have two 4.6's with earlier (3.9 / 3.5) flywheels, one used the early starter, one was using the original P38 starter until it died and is now on whatever the parts counter had which seemed to be a fairly universal "Rover V8 starter" option.

Edit: I'm only ~20mins up the road from you if you need to compare notes, I've got a couple of dead starters on the shelf you're welcome to play with.

[Oldopels]

That’s a very kind offer @FridgeFreezer, can I bank that for another day (another problem)?

I’ve measured everything up and I’m happy that the flywheels as they are fitted are within 1mm of each other. i.e. the same. I think the problem may be with the starter but it was behaving itself when I did a bench test so I’ve cleaned it all up and put it back on. So far no problems. 🤞

[FridgeFreezer]

You're welcome any time (within reason)