What engine do you have? If it is a Briggs, then I would say you need to adjust the valves. If the valve adjustment gets too loose, the compresion release feature of the cam will not work and the little starter motor can't turn the engine. It doesn't take but one or two thousandths of an inch to affect the compression replease. It's not too hard to do. You will need a feeler gauge set, an allen wrench, a box wrench, a long slender screwdriver, and a socket set. Use a socket and rechet to remove the valve cover bolts and carefully remove the cover. If you are carefull you will probably not damage the gasket. I have never had to replace one. Now, remove the sparkplug. Rotate the engine by hand watching both rocker arms. The exhaust valve will close (rocker gets loose). Then as the exhaust valve almost closes, the intake rocker will start to open. Turn the engine until the intake valve opens and almost closes. With the screwdriver through the sparkplug hole, CAREFULLY turn the engine until the piston comes all the way up and then about 1/4" back down. Both rocker arms should be loose now. Check the clearance between the valve stem and the rocker with the feeler gauge. I usually set both valves to .004" or maybe as tight as .003" on the intake. I would not set the exhaust tighter than .004" because the exhaust valve expands more when the engine is running and closes the gap. Put it all back together and you should find that it starts much better. It this is a Kohler, then I think that engine has hydraulic lifters and the above information doesn't apply.

Basically, just don't add any more posts to this thread. You should just stay with 1 thread until that issue is resolved. Putting multiple threads out on the exact same issue only makes it difficult to maintain a sense of continuity in the discussion.

If the whole clutch turns rather than just the pulley, then you have a locator issue for the clutch and possibly a bad clutch. If your pulley in question that had the bearings fail is the clutch, then it is bad. If you feel you can safely (it will spark) jump across the 2 large solenoid terminals, and it wants to crank- then check the following. One of the small wires on the solenoid will have a ground present if all the safety switches are correct and the other will have 12 VDC when the key is activated. Report back as concisely as you can if you need further help.

I'm with trudymmom... there's a lot of other stuff you can do while waiting for a buyer. Go over your plans item by item. Have you firmly planned all the electrical? Not just interior/exterior lighting and switch placement, but for garage doors, security and A/V. Decide now where the disposal switch goes as well as the possible placement of light switches in cabinets and closets and for stairways. Choose the actual lights, chandeliers, sconces; and buy when you find best price. If you have storage space (a secure garage or a rental) you can get started on not just selecting options (color of floors, tiles, walls, and interior and exterior trim), but actually pricing and buying cabinets for kitchen and baths, closet accessories, tiles, light fixtures, door knobs & locks, cabinet pulls and knobs, and so on. Unless it was a fantastic sale, I'd wait on delivery of appliances so as to not cut short the warranty period. Speaking of colors... now is a good time to get samples of everything, including paints and trims. Whether you are using siding, stone or brick, obtain enough to cover at least a 4'x4' area and then place 2' samples of the trim color against it. What looks good on a page may not be what you want in real-life size -- which is not fickleness but the fact that sunlight changes color values, and not always in a complementary way. Plan the landscaping... that means contact a designer and/or nursery for detailed plans. Don't forget to include the hardscape even if it will actually be put in a couple years after the basic trees and shrubs. And, I'd go ahead with building a garage if it's a separate building, or a sturdy storage building if the garage is attached style. I would also have the driveway cleared, graded, and deeply graveled. Don't finish the drive until after the build... delivery trucks can ruin both macadam and concrete. You may have a double charge for the dozer to come separately for driveway and foundation, but imo, it's worth it to gain all-weather acccess. You also need to arrange for electricity and water connections. In other words, make every possible decison and selection BEFORE the dozer comes to dig the foundation. Doing so will keep you quite busy for for quite a while, as well as prevent unnecessary stress during the actual build.