Mitsubishi: starter and flywheel, mitsubishi eclipse gs, mitsubishi eclipse

Question
I have a 1990 mitsubishi eclipse GS with a 16V DOHC engine 2.0 4spd automatic. The problem is that when I turn the egnition on the starter and the flywheel scrape causing each others teeth to get worn out.After a few scrapes the car wont start all you can hear is scraping. I would like to Know what the problem is? Someone told me that the starter was to small and was reaching the flywheel correctly therefore causing them to scrape together.They also told me that there are about three different starters for this car, Is that True?

Answer
Hi Julian,

No, that is not true. There is only one starter and one flywheel to fit your vehicle. What normally happens is a tooth will chip in an inexpensive aftermarket starter. As it turns the gear on the flywheel it begins to wear out the hardened gear of the flywheel and eventually gets worse on both. You will need to remove the transmission, replace the ring gear/flex plate and install a new starter. Wish I had better news for you. Thank you for using AllExperts.com