Why doesn t the M/T Ford starter I have fit in the hole in the intermediate plate?
The locating circle on the face of a Ford starter is made to different dimensions for manual and automatic transmissions. This keeps a person from mixing the two starters up since they look similar. If the starter does not fit in the hole in the intermediate plate, this indicates that a person either has the wrong starter or the wrong intermediate plate. Do not enlarge this hole or grind on the tsarter to make it fit, instead change the incompatible part. (Please note: Part # 9172 is for pre-1975 (auto) and pre 1980 (truck) manual transmissions ONLY. Part # 9162 is for automatic and 1975 and later (auto) and 1980 and later (truck) manual transmissions.