Briggs electric starter for 350000 thru 380000 series engines with steel flywheel
DIY Tip - Starter Fails to Engage
Why doesn't my Briggs and Stratton Starter engage?
One of the most common problems on the "28" series (11.5 to 15 horsepower) Briggs and Stratton engine these days is failure of the starter to engage. After checking the starter and finding no apparent problems, you look up and realize that the ring gear on the bottom of the flywheel is missing a few teeth. This happens quite often on the flywheels using the composite (plastic) ring gears. We are not here to debate the intelligence behind composite ring gears, believe me this has been a hot topic in small engine shops for years. What we are here to do is explain how to change the damaged ring gear.
How to replace damaged Briggs and Stratton Flywheel ring gears.
The first thing to do is purchase a replacement ring gear set. The Briggs and Stratton part number is #696537 or CheapOnlineParts # 10384. To remove the original ring gear you must remove the rivets holding the gear on the flywheel. Briggs and Stratton's advice is to drill out the rivets. We have found the easiest way is to use a cold chisel and cut off the rivet heads, then punch the rivet bodies out of the flywheel with a pin punch.
All that is left is to install the new ring gear using the provided bolts and nuts that come in the kit. Pay attention to the orientation of the new ring gear and everything should fall in place. The most common mistake when reassembling the flywheel to the engine is failure to properly time the engine using the flywheel key. When installing the flywheel make sure the keyway (slot)on the crankshaft and the keyway in the flywheel line up and that the flywheel key fits snugly.
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