Kicker motor starter and flywheel

My starter on my kicker motor came loose and I kept using it. I figured out finally that it did not sound good but it was too late. I know I need a new starter. How much wear on the flywheel is too much is the question.

there are basically 2 answers to this question:

1) If the starter still engages the teeth of the fly-wheel successfully, so what—-use it.

2) Call the manufacture and speak to a tech. Explain what happened and ask if there is a tolerence criteria where the fly-wheel should be replaced.

Primarily, as long as you have all the teeth and the starter gear engages “solid”, you should be good to go. If you are worn down, you may experience pre-mature wear on your starter gear.

Thanks for the reply Gary. The starter does not engage anymore. However if I manually turn the flywheel a couple of notches it sometimes will engage which makes me believe the flywheel is junk too.

Sounds like the fly wheel is the culprit. You did change out the gear on the starter too, right? You got that as a package?

Also, do a good inspection making sure nothing else got damaged. I also believe flywheel bolts do have a torque. I recommend you call a shop to get the specifications and possibly borrow a torque wrench when you replace the flywheel.