Do I need a Cover plate??

[Mykul01]

So I just built an AEB and O2J but did not instal a cover plate or dust shield in between the trans and engine before I mounted them. Now the Starter just clicks and wont turn over the engine. This is put inside my MK1 Cabriolet. All is done but wont turn over??? Any suggestions??

[masterqaz]

Your going to want that plate installed, try manually jumping the starter, the solinoid on the motor may be on its way out or a bad connection.

[Mykul01]

Your going to want that plate installed, try manually jumping the starter, the solinoid on the motor may be on its way out or a bad connection.

My plan was to make a cover out of plexiglass for the bottom exposed area and bolt it to the trans. The starter was used off of eBay so I could be bad? I hope not! I'll have it tested! I tried manually jumping it from the battery to the Solinoid and it made the same click?? But to answer my original question, is the cover plate needed to have the correct spacing for the starter to work?? Thanks for your input!

[Mykul01]

So I called a reputable shop her in the bay area Tomas Tuning in Berkelely. Talked with Matt and asked if I need a clutch cover (dust shield) in between the engine and trans for the starter to have the right throw and function properly! He could not give me an answer so after work to day I'm gonna take the starter out and bench test it! Also spin the crank and make sure the engine turns over a full rotation! Which it did prior to installing the engine in the car so I'm sure that's fine but I'll check again!

[Mykul01]

Just a follow up.. The reason my starter was not working was I painted my trans and my starter, not realizing that the starter is grounded by mounting to the transmission. So in conclusion you do not need the dust cover!!! The starter works fine after I ground the paint away form the mounting surface of the starter to the transmission.

[Mr.loops]

Nice catch on the ground on the transmission.

It sure wouldn't hurt to have that dust shield installed. Last thing you want is road debris inside the PP and FW.

[K20017]

I've had mine off for 3500 miles now and when I took off the trans, there was considerably less dust/dirt in there than I expected. Virtually nothing except the clutch dust. But it also wouldn't hurt to have it. It just sucks when you put everything back together and then you look down and see the gasket laying there.

[Rodneyiren]

If the total gross weight of a trailer - the combined weight of the trailer and its cargo - is 3,000 lbs. or less, no title is required. If the total gross weight of a trailer is 3,001 lbs. or more, a title is required. The gross weight of a trailer is determined by the manufacturer and will appear on the trailer's Certificate of Origin and on the trailer itself.

[Mykul01]

I agree with you and wish I did have a dust cover to put in there but I never had one so I'm going to make one out of some 1/4" thick plexiglass I have laying around and olt it up to the bottom of the transmission. There are a few bolt holes on the bottom that are not being used and should work out pretty good! I'll post some pics of iot when I get done with it this week

[BrownSoda]

I've had cars with and without the dust cover, only thing I noticed was that there was a cover or not, both seemed pretty equally dirty.

[masterqaz]

they put it on for a reason. Engineering doesnt just toss away money for nothing. Go drive though some nice puddles. For what its worth it'd be foolish to leave it open.