granpa 67, thanks for the fast reply. as for the meshing of the spur gears, i dont think thats the problem but i think you might be right about the clutch bell situation. i'll try that and we'll see if thats the problem. thanks for the help. as for using the pullstart engine, i actually bought a new Werks B5 engine but i kinda got scared and nervous after reading the "Break in Bible". i just bought a used engine to mess around with until i feel more comfortable.