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Old 05-30-2012, 11:14 PM   #1
littleboots
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Default 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

So this weekend at the river, my v twin had a few problems starting. The battery was fully charged, and when you would try and start it, you would hear the starter spin but it wouldn't engage to crank motor. After trying it several times continuously turning key on then off it would eventually engage. It wouldn't do it every time but did it on 4 different occasions.

Think its starter or something else? How do I test to see where the problem is?
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Old 05-30-2012, 11:58 PM   #2
jeffrun
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

Littleboots, sounds like your bendix drive is worn or damaged. The bendix drive is the portion of the starter that has a gear that meshes with your flywheel gear when starter is energized. Some of these bendix can be replaced, however, probably cheaper in the long run to just replace the starter which comes with new bendix. When you have the starter off ,look at teeth on flywheel, if the are rounded off or damaged ,that may need to be replaced.
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Old 05-31-2012, 09:04 AM   #3
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

Thanks Jeff. I'll pull the starter and look. You could hear the starter spin but it would push out the bendix gear to engage it on fly wheel. Or is it always engaged?
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Old 05-31-2012, 11:31 AM   #4
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

Two things come to mind here. First, is your starter drive ( the spiral part and the gear ) plastic? If so, it's probably worn. I'd get the " drive kit " and replace it. This is a common wear part.
Second, Does the starter spin freely? If the engine starts to crank and then stops on the compression stroke, you should disassemble, clean, and lube the bushings with a special grease made just for this purpose. The bushings will get dry causing drag which slows down the speed of the starter! One thing I will advise is to never hammer on the starter housing in an effort to get it to engage! The permanent field magnets will be destroyed and render the starter junk! I've had to replace numbers of these starters because of this. Folks don't understand that these new permanent magnet starters are fragile. You can't hammer on them like the old wound field ones!
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Old 05-31-2012, 11:39 AM   #5
jeffrun
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

The bendix flys out when you energize starter, its not engaged when motor running. If you have some worn gear teeth in spots on flywheel, you can clean those up with a small stone on a dremel tool. You need a open gap between teeth on flywheel for the bendix gear to engage.
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Old 05-31-2012, 07:21 PM   #6
ezgolimo98
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

Just found out on mine after new starter and battery the valves were not correct it would stop on compresion stroke and wouldnt turn over the motor the vavles have to be adjusted at .004 with the piston a quarter inch down from top down center!! Yes its a pain but now it spins over perfect !!
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Old 05-31-2012, 07:49 PM   #7
littleboots
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

Ezgolimo . Did you have same problem where starter would spin but not engage?
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Old 05-31-2012, 07:50 PM   #8
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

Because it won't even try to crank motor over. You just hear a high pitched spinning which is the starter. It doesn't even touch the flywheel
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Old 06-02-2012, 08:44 PM   #9
ezgolimo98
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

mine would spin untill it hit the compresion stroke then stop i adjust the vavles and it starts now!! ya sorry i guess thats not the problem here!!
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Old 06-03-2012, 04:38 PM   #10
shawn.m
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Default Re: 18hp B&S - starter spins but wont engage

if it stops when the motor hits the compression stop then you have a weak starter

I replace the drive gear on my 20hp about every 6-9months the new plastic gears are really junky
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