went to go fire up the iroc earlier today (305tpi), made a grinding noise as if it wernt shimmed right. assuming bolt came loose or broke. starter does spin, so its either not engaging, or the gear is stripped.. think the flexplate is ok? i know the only real way to tell is yank it apart. just opinions

 

Yep - only way to know for sure is to look. IIRC, you had a starter issue last week where it made a bad noise - you could have broke teeth off the flywheel in a spot back then. Starter bolts rarely break. Starter teeth rarely break. Sounds like you need to remove the starter, and get someone to turn the motor by hand while you look at every tooth of the flywheel for issues. If none are broken, then you need to get that starter installed and shimmed correctly.

 

well, finally got a chance to check it out today. got the starter out, they dont give ya much room.. but flexplates great(thank god). gonna put the new one in tomorrow. the old one didnt seem to want to extend out all the way, and caused grinding somewhere. seemed to do it when it wanted to, at times u can just hear the gear spin and doesnt engage. so hopefully i take care of that embarrasing grinding!

 

also completely unrelated, its been sitting a while, and last time we drove it ehh 45 mins it overheated. i noticed that lower radiator hose has a slight leak where it meets the block, id say 2 drops a minute if that. think airs getting in there and causing it too? its got new water pump, timing, thermostat ect ect.

 

That dripping at cooler temps will be a gusher at higher pressurized temps - replace that hose and see where that leads you.