Tractor Repair: 8N TRACTOR, bench grinder, home position

Question
Had a hard time getting starter out, can not get it to go back in, is there a trick to it.

Answer
Hello,

  If someone turned the starter drive gear so that it is turned out to the engaged position, it will have to be retracted back to the home position before the starter will fit back in.   Normally, when the starter starts to spin, it spins the drive gear out to engage the flywheel ring gear.  Then when the engine starts, it over-runs the drive gear like a ratchet and spins it back in to the retracted position.  The only way I have been able to retract the drive gear with the starter off the tractor is to hold the gear against a spinning wire wheel on a bench grinder and get the drive gear spinning fast enough to ratchet it back in.  It has to spin quite fast, and it takes a pretty powerful bench grinder to do the job.

                        Good luck,

                              Arnie