Inspection plate/dust shield

[GTRS Fiero]

My Fiero is not entirely stock--partucularly in this area.  I have heard that there are inspection plates between the engine and transmission, but cannot find a part number.  This does not appear to be in the book, at all.  Yes, people still claim to have these.  Is there such a thing, or only on some Fieros, different on other Fieros?

[scottb]

Let me look tomorrow afternoon. I have both a four speed and a five out of the car. I believe the bellhousings are solid

[GTRS Fiero]

That'd be great, thanks.

[Fierofool]

The dust shield slips up between the flywheel and engine block and is bolted to the bell housing with 10mm bolts.  Sometimes with age, the crankshaft will float and when the clutch is depressed, the flywheel moves forward and will scrub the dust shield.  I have two shields that I know of.  I don't know what transmissions they came from, but I think they're from a 4-speed and an Isuzu.  There is no true inspecton plate as the old cars had where you could see the throwout bearing side of the clutch assembly. 

[GTRS Fiero]

Well, if you want to check for a weight on your flywheel...

[TopNotch]

If you have a weighed flywheel, and don't need one, or your engine needs one but you don't have one, the resulting vibration will be a big clue.

[GTRS Fiero]

Let me look tomorrow afternoon. I have both a four speed and a five out of the car. I believe the bellhousings are solid

Any luck?

[Raydar]

The dust shield slips up between the flywheel and engine block and is bolted to the bell housing with 10mm bolts.
...
There is no true inspecton plate as the old cars had where you could see the throwout bearing side of the clutch assembly.

This. Exactly.
Although cutting a hole and fabbing up a cover would not be a bad idea, if it didn't compromise the strength of the bellhousing, and didn't let oil or crud in.

[TopNotch]

Maybe you can't look at your flywheel, but you can look at your crankshaft. The next time you change your oil, stick a lighted borescope in the drain hole. Here are what the unbalanced and balanced crankshafts look like.

Unbalanced on the left, balanced on the right.

[GTRS Fiero]

I see the images top and bottom.

Why can't you look at the flywheel?

[TopNotch]

I see the images top and bottom.

Why can't you look at the flywheel?

The whole thread seems to be about how to look at the flywheel, to see if it has weights or not. I was offering a different way to see if the flywheel needs weights or not.

[GTRS Fiero]

Ah.  Yes, indeed.  I had thought you were indicating that removing the cover would not accomplish that purpose.

[scottb]

finally remembered to take a picture. This a 5 speed Getrag, notice the bellhousing is solid:

[GTRS Fiero]

So, the inspection cover sits over the bottom right, as pictured?

[scottb]

no, that would be for the starter..... there is a dust shield that is sandwiched between the engine block and the bellhousing, it cant be removed with splitting the transmission from the engine