I got mine to replace one on a 37000 model starter for my craftsman snowblower that is about 14 years old. Mine was making a bad grinding/screeching sound when i tried to start mine. After taking the starter off, I found that half of the teeth in the end of the starter were broke off and just gone. I checked my flywheel and there was no damage to that from what i could see. yes, I did spin it a bit to check it over more then just one spot (the pull start still works for me to spin it), so i know that it was just the starter. I have seen people make remarks about gluing the end cap on because it is smaller but not much info about why. here is basically the situation. First, the overall height of this one vs the original, is about 1/8" shorter in height then the original. Also, the very top of the picture, just past the teeth, that part has a groove where the end cap kinda like, clicks into place and is probably about 1/16" maybe 1/8" at most, wider then the original. it is also a tiny bit smaller around. because of these 2 things, the plastic covering cap does fit, or snap on, but is very loose, and does not fit as snug, or as tightly as the original. Because of its looseness, when it starts to spin when you use the starter, it can kinda whip around and dislodge from where it is supposed to stay. Because of the lager gap, the problem is, some people have mentioned using super glue. The problem with that is, you are relying on the glue to hold it in place, but if that bond breaks, then there is nothing to hold it in place. Also, what also makes super glue a bad idea is super glue gets weaker with heat. Dont forget, you are gluing a piece of smooth plastic on to a piece of smooth metal on something that is attached to the engine which gets hot. For all those reasons, i do not believe super glue is the right choice. What I do suggest is getting some kind of glue that will get hard once it cures, will hold, yet is thick. If it gets hard, then what you can do is fill in that small gap (all the way around the gear where the cap snaps in place) at the end of the teeth, then put the cap on and let it cure or harden before you reinstall the starter. Doing this, you have the glue to hold it in place, but if that bond between the metal or the plastic breaks, then the glue is still wrapped all the way around the end of the gear where the cap snaps on, so it will keep the plastic cap from spinning off because the glue filled in the gap to make a tight fit. And since it is all the way around, you are not relying on one small spot to stay in place so the glue is less likely to fall or break off too. One small note about what another reviewer posted.. They stated that the plastic cap helps keep dirt out.. It does not help like you would think.. It helps keep dirt out of the tip.. that is all. the plastic cap jumps in and out with the gear when ever you use the starter, so it does not keep dirt out of the starter, nor out of the starer area. It only keeps dirt out of the area where the clip is at the end of the shaft that holds the gear on and keeps the gear from flying off the end of that shaft. This includes keeping dust/dirt in the area off of that clip, and about one inch of the shaft itself. That is it. It is sealed by sheetmetal, or more, all around the end of the shaft from dirt and stuff, so that area is not exposed to the environment more then a little humidity type of moisture. You have to remember, the starter is attached in the area where the flywheel is, so they have to build these so that not much gets in there, and on the flywheel. So if you want to take a chance and try using it without the cap, I dont see why it will hurt much. The most that will happen is the gear may start to stick to the end of the shaft a little after you start it up if some dust gets on it. So it is preferred that you have it, but dont think that things are going to break because that little cap is not on it. You may never have a problem if it is not on there. Like I said, it is preferred that you put it back on, but if you cant, you dont need to freak out. If you have not replaced one of these and are worried about replacing it and how hard it is, at least on mine, all I had to do was... the starter has 4 bolts that hold it in place. the 2 closest to the ground, you have to take out. the top 2 (mine were behind the gas tank for the top 2) you do not have to take out. There is kinda like a fork design to the tabs that just slide around the bolt stubs, so there is no need to take those 2 bolts out. then there is the 2 screws that holds the plug/starter button in place. take the 2 bottom bolts to the starter and the 2 screws for the power and it just slides right off. It literally is something like a 5 minute job to get it off. Once you do that, to replace this gear, there is a plastic cap on the end of this gear. Just take a screwdriver and pry a little and the cap will just pop off. Then after that is off, there is a piece of metal up against the end of the shaft with a spring pushing against it to hold it to the end of the shaft. Push that down (yes you can do it with your hands, its not hard) and there will be a round steel clip (basically it looks like a piece of metal coat hanger wrapped around the shaft in a groove on the shaft) that you will have to pry apart some how to get it off. What i did was I held it down and had my friend put a pair of needle nose pliers in the small gap between the ends of the clip, then pulled the handles apart with the tips in the groove which pushed the metal ring apart. That is just what I did, but you can do whatever you want. i just happened to use what was sitting there. But after you get it apart, and get it off, the rest just slides apart. then put the new gear on (along with the other parts), put the clip back on (try to make sure it is seated pretty well or the end metal piece that the spring pushed up against may not sit flat), glue the cap back on, and reinstall. one small note. something you may want to, and can do it just as a precaution. I found that before i replaced mine, about half the time when I hit the button to run the starter, the spring would not push the gear back down to where the gear is supposed to sit after it jumped the gear to the end of the shaft. What I did was put just a small amount of oil on the shaft and the gear no longer stuck at the end of the shaft after hitting the button. I tried this multiple times, both before I replaced the gear and after, with it out of the snowblower of course. just remember, you only need a small amount of oil on the shaft. dont overdue it. Overall, this does work. i have no complaints about that. I have i deducted 1 start, not because of quality, but because they should have made the part where the cap snaps on just a tiny bit bigger in diameter, and not quite so wide of a slot so that the plastic end cap snaps on securely. that is about my only complaint with this. hope my review helps someone who may need this done so they can fix theirs without having to spend in excess of a hundred for a new one. ............................................ Update: I have now used the starter a few times and so far, it works fine with no problems.
