Unbelievable...

[GDFL]

Be very careful pulling the flywheel. You CAN NOT drive the bolts very deep into the flywheel (bolts on the puller) or you will destroy your stator and have to replace that too. A new starter bendix is expensive. I'd look for a good used one around here. You may be able to clean up the one you have in ATF if it looks decent. Use a fresh gasket on the flywheel cover or you'll get water in there and it'll ruin your stator. Wrenching on skis is fun stuff huh?

 

[Waste Land]

You use the motor mount bolts and than screw those in the flywheel. I know which one your talking about...i was mistaken, it is a harmonic puller I thought mine said steering wheel...my baaad

Actually both of you are correct....at autozone...its a harmonic balancer puller.....at others like advance its a harmonic/steeringwheel puller...just one come with more stuff

 

[keefer]

Be very careful pulling the flywheel. You CAN NOT drive the bolts very deep into the flywheel (bolts on the puller) or you will destroy your stator and have to replace that too. A new starter bendix is expensive. I'd look for a good used one around here. You may be able to clean up the one you have in ATF if it looks decent. Use a fresh gasket on the flywheel cover or you'll get water in there and it'll ruin your stator. Wrenching on skis is fun stuff huh?

Actuate the bendix by hand to make it open up. Inspect the area where the three weights rest. There is a weight holder / seperator that usually breaks allowing the weights to potentially not go back into place. Also and most important, there is a retainer spring that looks like a crank seal spring that keeps the weights together. If these parts are missing or broken then the bendix will not work or hang open and cause the starter to stay engaged thus runing it. Or the bendix will grenade and destroy the expensive stator or flywheel. I would just bite the bullet and buy a new OEM unit and make sure the stator area is clean & dry. Soaking it in ATF is only a solution if all the parts are in good order.

 

[flyinb501]

Wow this does suck! Thanks for all the info guys. I appreciate it.

I'll probably be back with more questions as I dig into it.

 

[Superjet3]

DID you check the charge on the battery before ripping all your stuff apart?

 

[flyinb501]

No I didn't... Damn! Now I have everything apart, even the starter off.

I guess tomorrow I'll put the starter back in and hook up the battery charge it, and see if it turns over. My battery was dead a couple weeks ago... THese things do have alternators don't they?

 

[chrisdoc0608]

they have a charging system that is made up of a coil on the stator and the flywheel magnets. you can see if the starter turns over with out hooking it up to the motor. just take power to battery, and ground to one of the bolts on the starter, and hold on tight otherwise it will fly out of your hand. put it in a vise if you are sceptical of holding it though.

 

[flyinb501]

had the same problem - someone told me my battery could be too dead to spin the starter fast enough to have it engage...

charged the battery and never had that problem again...

Ding ding ding! Damn, I wish I would've had this advice before I tore the whole friggen thing apart! Oh well, at least I don't have to drop any more cash on this thing.

Thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate it! Without all the advice I would have surely bought a new starter, and would've been way off...