Toyota Repair: 98 corrolla starter, flywheel teeth, fly wheel

Question
gday ted sometimes it starts but othertimes its just a single click, had a 2nd hand starter put in last year, the mechanic said there may be a link misseing in the fly wheel which casues it to skip sometimes and said to hit it with a hammer lightly, its been fine and then the last couple of days its very tempremental, and starts then wont start, how can u test the starter? and any way of knowing if the fly wheel needs replacing without taking out the transmission? or any suggestions mate? im in canada im from nz, only 6 months left in the country and dont want to spend much, and taking out the transmission to see if it is the flywheel is very costly, would sincerly appreciate any feedback mate. cheers

Answer
The flywheel can be inspected by removing the starter and looking into the opening while rotating the engine by hand, the flywheel teeth are visible.  Testing the starter on the bench is not reliable, it may work ok then but when it's in the car it may not, I just think that you may have gotten a bad starter to begin with.