Starter drive not always engaging engine flywheel

[brettyrae]

:Bnghd: I have an AMT 626 witht eh Kawasaki 9.5 HP engine. I had a rebuilt starter put on it and when I go to start the machine, it sounds like the starter's motor itself is spinning, yet the engine is not cranking. In a vise, I got the starter solenoid to throw the pinion/clutch every time I jumped the motor terminals, so my question is; WHAT am I not seeing when the starter is installed on the engine and I try to start it?

BTW- I tried an experiment where I rotated the Salsbury clutch/pulley while simultaneously activating the starter and this helps in getting the engine to crank and run. Hmmmm. I'm baffled. Need advice.

Brett

[Dane]

Does it sound like the starter gear is grinding on the flywheel when you try to start? Since it's a rebuilt starter I wonder if it has the wrong teeth to easily engage the flywheel.

[roboman]

I had the solenoid go bad on a 620i a year ago, and the solenoid from JD was about $70 but a new starter and solenoid combo (admittedly a cheap Chinese set vs. a quality Japanese Denso) from Autozone was also $70, so I went to Autozone. Every so often, with no recognizable pattern, it will let out a nasty grind when you try to start it. The next time I start it a second later, it does what it's supposed to and there are no problems. I'm curious what your issue could be as well since my issue sounds similar.