Hey guys! So, today I removed the starter on my big bear to test it and when I pulled it loose oil went everywhere. Scared the hell out of me. Is this normal? I've watched a few videos on removing starters and oil didn't pour out on any of them?

 

No, the starter is well above the oil level. It gets flung around so the nose of the starter is always oily, but no more than a drip should come from the hole. If the oil is thin and smells of fuel, a leaky float needle may have filled cylinder and sump with fuel, this locks the engine so the starter won't turn. The float chamber breather should stop this happening.

 

So likely all it needs is a carb cleaning and or rebuild and new oil in the crankcase? The breather hose was plugged up pretty bad. It was making an awful clunking noise when I was trying to turn it over. That's why I took the starter off in the first place. I wonder if the clunking was because of the fuel in the oil or if it's bad gears.

 

Depends if the oil is thin and smells of fuel. You could just have overfilled the sump with oil. A clunking noise is usually bad news, as it indicates broken starter gears or a slipping one way clutch behind the flywheel.

 

Yes the oil was thin and did smell of fuel. The starter works fine and the gear seems to be in good shape. Must be the clutch. I'll probably have to bring it in, sounds like its above my mechanical abilities. Thanks for your help!

 

I would give it an oil change, find out why the fuel went into the engine rather than draining out of the overflow from the float chamber, and empty the cylinder and air box of fuel. Then find out if it still screeches when you tun the starter. Occasionally it can be the starter bearings, so it is worth putting a little oil on them before refitting the starter.

 

I'll try that thanks for the help!