john deere 316 starter

[Firepuppy]

can any one tell me if there is a spring on top of the throw out gear in the starter on a john deere 316

 

[beenthere]

Looking at jdparts, there appears to be two starters depending on the s/n of the 316.
One shows a bendix type and the other refers to a solenoid shift. The solenoid shift doesn't show a spring. Maybe there is one internal to the solenoid, but it isn't external.

Are you thinking you are missing a spring?