What is a flywheel?

Question

A co-worker has a car that's the make/model my brother is looking for, she says the flywheel might be the reason its just sitting in her yard right now, not going anywhere. (She's not even sure what a flywheel is or does.)

What's a flywheel & what does it do?

The car is an 1985 Bonneville.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

The little pontiace doesn't have a real flywheel, but it has a FLEXPLATE in its place. It is the part of the engine that connects the transmission to the engine.
The FLYWHEEL, located in the same place is a heavy piece of material which provides MASS to compensate for the pulses of engine power between power strokes of the engine. It helps the engine to be smooth during the production of power.

If the flexplate is broken or cracked, the engine probably can't be started (starter can't engage engine) or may make a very loud noise while it is running.
Good Luck

Source(s):

ASE Tech

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thsnk you. Best answer. :-)

Answer 2

The fly wheel is a disc with teeth on it. It's connected to the rear of the engine. It's purpose is for the transfer of power to the transmission from the engine and the starter uses it to start the engine.
Master tech 40 yrs.

Answer 3

I had a flywheel once. The lug nuts came off and the wheel came off and passed me. lots of sparks flying as i pulled over.. I got the wheel and put it back on... no kidding.

Answer 4

The flywheel is in the back of the engine, in this situation I'm guessing the teeth are stripped and that is what the starter gears line up to, hence bad flywheel no start. But to get it running all you have to do is rotate the engine a few degrees by hand to get it past the bad spot on the flywheel and you might be able to get the starter to engage. Good luck

Answer 5

it bolt on the engine block that the car starter bolt on to an turn when you turn your car over when you start your car.

Answer 6

It`s the wheel with teeth that makes the transmission turn...

Answer 7

Fly, It helps the car fly. Buy it, the car would be worth a lot of money if it can fly...

Answer 8

It is a heavy wheel used in machinery to secure a steady motion.

Answer 9

a flywheel is part of the engine that bolts the transmission (torque converter ) to the rotation of the engine, the starter engages the flywheel to start the car

Source(s):

mechanic

Answer 10

A flywheel, in essence is a mechanical battery - simply a mass rotating about an axis. Flywheels store energy mechanically in the form of kinetic energy. They take an electrical input to accelerate the rotor up to speed by using the built-in motor, and return the electrical energy by using this same motor as a generator. Flywheels are one of the oldest and most common mechanical devises in existence. They may still prove to serve us as an important component on tomorrow's vehicles and future energy needs. Flywheels are one of the most promising technologies for replacing conventional lead acid batteries as energy storage systems for a variety of applications, including automobiles, economical rural electrification systems, and stand-alone, remote power units commonly used in the telecommunications industry. Recent advances in the mechanical properties of composites has rekindled interest in using the inertia of a spinning wheel to store energy.
VR

Source(s):

http://www.upei.ca/~physics/p261/project…

Answer 11

its a wheel used to smooth out the turning of another component