Jaffa, it sounds like you haven't got the bits in quite the right order there.

Friction between the spindle/washers and the pawl cover is usually the critical factor for this type of starter; it has to be sufficient to get the pawls to poke out when the pulley is rotated. And there are bits that should not be lubed in there.

Look for an exploded parts diagram for your starter, on one of the US sites like http://www.epartsnow.com or http://www.partstree.com

The advent of the digital camera age has been a great help with this sort of issue; it makes it so easy to take pics as you pull something apart. Even if you have to keep a plastic bag handy to use as a glove, to protect the camera from gunge.

Cheers,
Gadge

"ODK Mods can explain it to you, but they can't understand it for you..."

"Crazy can be medicated, ignorance can be educated - but there is no cure for stupid..."