Rattle, could it be starter or internal?

[Jumpman-Z]

Ok, here's a strange problem. I starting my car yesterday, I hear this weird rattling noise from the engine bay (sounds like metal hitting something), so I turn it off to make sure that the fan wasn't hitting anything. Checked it out, nothing. So, I tried to crank it again, and all I get is the starter spinning. I tried several times, and that was all I got.

After finally getting the car going by pushstarting, I hear the rattling noise again. I had no where to leave it, so I drive home (3 miles), keeping the engine at low rpm since the sound increases with increasing rpm. There was no loss of power.

Today, tried to diagnose the problem. First, I cleaned both battery cables. The starter is new (been using for about 3 months), so I figured it couldn't be the problem, but I pulled it off anyway, just to make sure. The teeth still looked brand new. I didn't inspect the entire flywheel, but the teeth I saw looked perfect. I even shook the starter, to check for loose parts. Nothing seems to move other than the gear.

Next I checked to see if the alternator was the problem. I removed the belt, and just ran the car without it for couple minutes (had to pushstart, of course). I can still hear the rattling noise from the engine bay. This time, I try to pinpoint the noise better. It sounds and feels as if it's coming from the starter, but it looked fine. WTF?

At this point, I am starting to run out of ideas. Is it possible that it still could be the starter? Honestly, I hope it is, as it would be the easiest fix. Not sure what else could be causing it, any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Oh yeah, I'm running the KA24DE on a 1992 240.