98 mntneer starter grinding/crunching noise

[mercmountman]

my 98 4.0 sohc v6 just began to make crunching ,gear grinding sound when i try to start it. It used to be minimal at 1st n would start but now it is really bad n usually wont fire unless i really just push it . it almost feels while trying to start as if the motor is way out of timing . Also i did some checking and ford techs say starter on left sd of motor and easy to remove if you take left exhaust manifold off first . says it gives you clear access to wires n top bolt of starter . Well i hope so coz im gonna try it in the morning.