Starter Stopper

The starter on my 8179KT always seemed to struggle in cold weather. This year as soon as the weather cooled, the starter was acting up again, worse than ever. It didn't make a grinding noise, just sort of a rumble or grumble. It barely turned the engine over fast enough to get it started. So I decided to pull the starter and get a handle on the problem. I figured I would just rebuild it with the $24.00 kit from Richards, and life would be good. Instead I had to buy a new one because this is what I found:



:banghead3

Anyone want to buy a slightly used starter for a 17HP Kohler twin? Heck it somehow worked for me with a piece of magnet wire smashed between the rotor and the magnets for 10 years.