Got a 98 big bear 350 that won't crank. I've cleaned the carb, new spark plug, new gas, checked as many wires as I can. New battery. Checked timing chain. Has compression. It will just spin and spin and spin. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Do you mean the starter is spinning but not engaging to turn the motor over?

 

Yes that's exactly what it's doing

 

Any idea what could be wrong with it?

 

its either a bad starter or a bad starter clutch. does the pull start engage and spin the motor?

 

Would it even spin over if the starter was bad? And the pull rope is messed up, I just haven't fixed that. It sometimes acts like it wants to fire off but then just keeps spinning but not cranking. The starter is the only thing I haven't taken off to check. How would I check for a bad clutch?

 

The starter motor has fine gear teeth cut on the armature shaft, these can strip. If they have gone, check for wear on the gear they mesh with. If the teeth are OK it will probably be the starter clutch, though this usually screams for a while before giving up altogether. Fitting a new one is a big job and best left to an experienced mechanic with the correct flywheel puller for the big bear.

 

Thank you. I'm going to check that when I get off work today and see what I can find out. Thank y'all for your help.