General Procedure

Remove the starter motor. REFER to Starter Motor - 2.0L GTDI or Starter Motor - 3.5L Ti-VCT .
Inspect the wear patterns on the starter drive and the flywheel or flexplate ring gear. If the wear pattern is normal, install the starter motor. REFER to Starter Motor - 2.0L GTDI or Starter Motor - 3.5L Ti-VCT .

Fig 1: View Of Starter Motor Drive Gear And Flywheel Ring Gear Inspection Area
Courtesy of FORD MOTOR CO.
If the starter drive gear and the flywheel or flexplate ring gear are not fully meshing or the gears are milled or damaged, install a new flywheel or flexplate and a new starter motor:
- For 2.0L GTDI, refer to FLEXPLATE .
- For 3.5L Ti-VCT, refer to FLEXPLATE .
- For starter, refer to Starter Motor - 2.0L GTDI or Starter Motor - 3.5L Ti-VCT .