# Riding mower issue



## Hnhinkle (Jun 12, 2019)

I have a Dixon 3302 with a 12hp Briggs & Stratton engine, zero turn mower that I picked up on a yard sale site fairly cheap. He started it right up and rode it into my trailer just fine. When I got home and tried to start it to get it off the trailer, I noticed metal flakes coming from the starter/flywheel area. I replaced the starter-same issue. Replaced the Flywheel since it looked pretty chewed up. Same issues. Read a tread that said to put washers as shims on the starter bolts. Did that. Same issue. I’m at a loss. Any suggestions?


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Did you put the washers between the bolt and the starter housing or the starter housing and the block?

:lurk5:


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## Hnhinkle (Jun 12, 2019)

Between the housing and the block


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## finaprint (Jan 29, 2006)

If you are shimming starter in or out in relation to flywheel THICKNESS you may not be doing anything, may need more like a tooth depth engagement adjustment at right angles to that that somebody will have to think about how to change. Shimming there if not looking at both fully engaged and fully not may easily make things worse too, if step wear had already begun on the parts the wear will likely suddenly get worse. Every custom shim job needs to be slightly different and to the needs of the equipment instead of simply following the crowd. 

From somebody who custom shims almost every thing he builds. I have shimmed Peerless rider transmissions that were junk and rejected by shops because they would not stay in gear, when done they worked smooth and perfect and never presented problems again for years. Using parts made up from nowhere, they did not exist in any parts books. 

Forget the wear particles, you already have that message now, concentrate on the two gears, look at them CLOSE to determine where most of the wear is coming from. 

It may be helpful to take a Dremel with a small OD long rock like for chain saw tooth sharpening and radius the edges of both flywheel and starter teeth to let them enter each other with a slightly bigger window, that lowers the gouge wear that occurs with a complete flatface hit. Similar to hi speed oil pump customization blueprinting for automotive use in drag racing.


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## Hnhinkle (Jun 12, 2019)

Thank you for your response. I look into how these teeth are lining up and hitting. See where I can grind some down.


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