Hello folks, I've been treading the net for weeks with no help. Finally found this forum, did a search but nothing turned up.

My 1999 has 3 teeth missing on the flywheel, the starter landed right there. I don't have the location, tools, or experience to do this work. A mechanic charged $400+parts. I'm not sure if this is fair or not and frankly isn't relevant - I can't afford this for a while.

Many weekend mechanics I've ran into say "just turn the flywheel manually", they speak of a socket near the bottom/front of the engine that I can pop a wrench in and spin the engine a few teeth over to.

I don't see anything, if this is even possible can someone point me to an image or video to sort of get my headed in the right direction?

My other option was to take the starter off, remove the plugs, and try from that angle. Suggestions?

Greatly appreciate any input, as soon as things improve financially I plan to take her to get worked on.

 

The harmonic balancer bolt can be used to spin the engine over. You'll need a socket, short extension, and a ratchet or breaker bar to turn it. You won't be able to get a wrench onto it. It is easiest to access from under the truck.


Attached is a picture I found online and added an arrow pointing to the balancer bolt in question. Don't mind the fact that the oil fill & dip stick tubes are for the mini-van configuration.

 

Thank you!

Do you know the socket size? I don't have many tools so I'll need to borrow/rent and I'll need to know the numbers. I've searched but nothings come up for the Automatic - maybe it's the same at the 4x4, 5/8ths?