1991 GT starter spins freely. Bendix or ?

[Kurtis 500]

Picked up a 1991 GT with the yellow Rotax. Hasnt run in 3 years and the last owner said he could get it running on starter fluid before I bought it a month ago. With a brand new battery fully charged and installed I can only get the starter to spin without engaging the fly wheel. Sounds to me like a bendix not engaging or extending but the starter spins nicely. Is there a quick and easy way to diagnose what could be happening? I live in 2 places and my shop and large assortment of tools are in another state 11 hours away by car. With a basic assortment of tools here I can do only a limited amount of tear down.

 

[JeremyD615]

It’s probably the bendix, but you’ll have to pull the starter and tear it down to diagnose. It may just have some corrosion in it that you can clean up and put it back together...