Starter clutch?

[wadmalawjoe]

On my son's 150 scooter the starter gear or clutch seems to be stripped out. When you hit the start button the starter comes on and spins freely. I pulled the starter out and tested it, it does come on and spin, I also tried a new starter just to make sure that its not a starter issue. Looking in the hole where the starter shaft slides in I can see the gear inside and it has teeth. So I guess the next gear over must be bad? I've tried to remove the right side crankcase cover to check things out, but only got as far as the stator drum like cover. That seems to be stuck like heck. I used a puller, I threaded into the cover and cranked down on the center bolt of the puller but the dang screws going into the cover keep pulling out and now I will have to tap those for a bigger screw/bolt because the threads have stripped out and yes I removed the center nut.

Anyways, does it sound like I'm on the right path?