Flywheel keeps breaking on 1994 4x4 explorer - Explorer Ford Cars & Trucks

What exactly do you mean by "breaking"? Use the comment Button below with more information please.
It takes a hell of a lot to damage the flywheel on the crank shaft end of an engine. Has the flywheel been removed recently? If it hasn't been refitted correctly it can cause big problems. A poorly fitted clutch assembly can also cause issues. A more common reason for damage to a flywheel is a faulty starter motor no releasing properly, chewing off the teeth around the rim of the flywheel.

By breaking I assume you mean into pieces? The only thing that would cause this is a badly misaligned transmission. Any other problems would cause such vibration you would not drive the vehicle .

May have to shim your starter mount to adjust angle with flywheel

soak it with pb blaster for a day,wipe off excess and use a torch to heat the bolt,then try it

Hello Deborah, Since you did not explain details about your flywheel, all I can say is the transmission could have something to do with it breaking.

check that the pinion teeth are the same ratio as the flywheel teeth. There are differences in pinions . Check that there is not metal stuck in the flywheel teeth. Check that when the starter is in position it is butted up all the way around the housing and is not misaligned by incorrect mounting bolt tension.

Two major possible causes here:
1. Your starter is not engaging the teeth on the outside of the plate properly, as shown by chewed-up teeth, both on flywheel [actually called a flexplate on automatic], and on starter. Dirt trapped in between the starter and the housing will keep it from mating properly, and cost you big bucks. Shims are available to get the teeth exactly lined up.
2. OR your torque converter is indeed not true to the engine drive-shaft, causing pressure off-center. That would cause the flexplate to break out at the center. If this is how your plates broke, you probably will need a new automatic transmission.
If you also have engine oil back there, the rear bearing of the engine could be shot, indicating bad things. Have a pro check both shafts for sloppy bearings.

Keep working it around till it can be removed. I recall some where you had to bend them a bit nearly to the point of breaking them before they could be removed.

Did you buy the right one,there are two types one for automatic,the other for manual transmission.Make sure it's not cocked.on evenly and the teeth go into the flywheel teeth.

ive had bad starters frome the parts stores go bad multiple times on me in fact on my 65 impalla i got 6 bad starters in a row from napa went to oreileys and it worked you need to check the flyweel for wear and make shure the gap between the starter gear and the flywheel are corect on rebuelt or aftermarket starters sometimes the machene the seface wrong and creats a bind make shure the bolts that go through the ****** are tight to specs becase if they go loose you can ruin a starter a starter only needs power ground and a signal to opperate