# new electric starters spin, but won't engage



## bn123 (Dec 6, 2021)

Easy to replace. Have ordered 2 and both spin when plugged in, but neither engages and spins the engine. Any ideas?


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## bn123 (Dec 6, 2021)

Easy to replace. Have ordered 2 and both spin when plugged in, but neither engages and spins the engine. Any ideas?


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## evh (Jun 22, 2015)

Hi, please share more information and possibly some pics of them. What are their model numbers? What snow blowers did they come off of?


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## sledman8002002 (Jan 20, 2021)

Are both starters new or new/used rebuild? 
Assuming they're both new, it might be a possible alignment issue if they're not meshing into place, the starter only need be off a miniscule amount to make it fail, (I've seen this before). A thin shim or two between the engine and starter bracket(s) may be the answer.
You can also try turning flywheel a partial turn with recoil rope and see if there's any change.
Pics would help.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Are these new? Are they the right one for your machine? 

Most have a light duty retraction spring that allows the gear to go out to the flywheel and return.


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## farmer52 (Dec 27, 2020)

Check the mounting bolts to make sure they are tight.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Remove it from the snowblower and press the button, see if the starter drive goes out to engage.


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

[Identical threads merged. Y.R.]


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## Toon (May 11, 2021)

My first guess is that the starters are not the right ones for your machine. The throw out dimension may be too short to engage the flywheel or the mounting bolt pattern is offset . Measure the dimensions on your old original starter and compare it to the two new ones. One other possibility is that the new ones are spinning backwards for your machine.


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## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

because ive done it on a lawn tractor... is the battery plugged in backwards???itl spin in the opposite direction.. thus negating the bendix shooting out the gear to the flywheel...man i felt dumb


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