Just replaced starter motor. Flywheel has all its teeth and so did the old starter motor. Fuses look good. The starter is rotating but the engine will not turn over and start. whirring noise.

all engines turn in an anticlockwise direction when viewed from the flywheel end
so if you starter is alongside the engine it will rotate in a clockwise at the pinion end but if alongside the transmission it will be opposite to drive the flywheel in the anticlockwise direction

What clicks is the solenoid for the starter. I pushes the starter gear into the flywheel, then the starter motor is supposed to spin the flywheel and it starts. If you hear the click, but nothing else happens, there is a good chance that it is the starter itself. Check the wires going to the starter and make sure that the red one is 12 volts. The black one should go to ground. If it has 12V on it, then it is the starter motor. If it DOESN'T have 12V, then the problem is that power is not getting to the motor.

Check the starter to see if it is engaging the flywheel. There may be a flat spot on the flywheel so the starter cannot mesh with the teeth on the flywheel.

If it were the battery, the starter wouldn't be making any grinding noise at all. It could be the starter, starter drive, starter solenoid or the teeth ground down on 3 spots on the flywheel.

Check to see that the pinion gear of the starter is hooting out and engaging the flywheel.
And if it is working it is possible that you have missing tooth/teeth on your flywheel and the starter cannot turn over the engine because of that.

Disconnect the battery and then carefully remove the starter. Take the unit to a local auto parts dealer for a bench test. Starters have two separate functions, one spins the shaft to crank the engine, the other is called a bendix, which pushes the starter gear out to engage the flywheel, and then after the engine engages, retracts it (except in the case of starter/generator combo units which recharge your battery and power your vehicle's electricals while the engine is running) Always best to get a bench test rather than depending on apparent symptoms.

Try taking a look at the starter and flywheel while attempting to start the engine. Does the small gear at the end of the starter move forward and engage the flywheel when you try to start the engine? Could it be stuck? The small gear must move forward to engage the flywheel. Keep your fingers away from the moving parts.

This procedure is for 200 Kawasaki Prairie 400
1:on the flywheel cover, remove the pull starter asembley so you can turn the engine over by using a wrench. on that same side, remove the timing inspection plug. it will be on teh side of teh flywheel cover, and have a large flat blade screwdriver mark or allen hole you use to unscrew it.
2:with the inspection plug removed, slowley turn the engine untill you see a "F" and a line. from there, rotate the engine very slowley untill you see a "T." JUST after the "T" there is a line. you want the mark inside the inspection plug hole to line up with that line after the "T."
3: with the bottom end now timed, you will install the cam into the head. when you set the camshaft into the head, do so with the lobes pointing directly down. after the cam is installed, then install the cam sprocket and make sure the lines on it are directly left to right. the lines will end up lining up with the level surface of the cylinder head surface. ater you have installed the cam and sprocket, look again at the inspection hole in the flywheel cover to recheck that the bottom end is still on time.
4: once the cam is installed, and the sprocket is installed on it, you will see the lobes point down, and the cam sprocket lines are from side to side. then yo uwant to install teh cy;inder head cover.
5after the head cover is installed, install the cam chain tensioner, and slowley rotate the engine to ensure the valves and piston do not contact. USE HAND TOOLS TO ROTATE ENGINE, NOT ELECTRIC STARTER!! the electric starter will cause damage if the timing is off.

Hi John,

Find the 17 nut/cover on the left side of the cylinder and remove it - you should see the flywheel. There is an arrow cast into the casing next to this hole. Rotate the engine by hand (plug out to make it easier) until you see a line on the flywheel line up with the arrow. Engine is now at TDC.

Now position the camshaft so that the lobes are down, and you will see a line on the sprocket end. Line this up level with the head surface and fit the camchain. The engine is now timed. Rotate it twice and re-check the timing to be sure.

The starter drive on the starter motor is defective. The teeth on the flywheel could be chewed up too. If you just installed a new starter, you may have to add or subtract clearance spacer metal tabs so that the starter drive engages properly with the flywheel.