I recently purchased a project boat (my first)--a 1969 16' Chrysler Sport Fury with 105hp outboard. It had sat outside for at least the better part of a year since being in the water, however I was able to get it running by cleaning up the points/carbs. The first time we took it to the lake was somewhat of a bust--it idled around ok but as soon as we got past the no wake buoys and tried to rev it up it died (think probably points-related) and we ended up going back under trolling motor power. During the time it was running, I never got a heat indicator. It also cranked fine until we gave up and pulled it out of the water, and when we got it home.
After deciding to go ahead and buy the tune-up parts to fix everything up right, I started having starter problems. I pulled it off and took it to a local auto electrical shop--they said it had an open in the armature--probably due to getting hot enough (~450 degrees) to melt the solder out of the connections to the brush contacts. They fixed it all up and everything was peachy. I installed new points, carb kits, and water pump impeller, and took it back to the lake. The motor ran fine, but when idling around for 5-10 minutes the heat indicator would come on. Revving the engine up for a little bit would turn the indicator off and I wasn't overly concerned.
Fast forward to today--getting ready to take the boat back out with my girlfriend. I had the trailer all hooked up, gas mixed, cooler packed, and everything ready to go. Before we pulled out I hooked the battery up and tried the key--and got nothing. Suspecting the battery, I switched to the trolling motor battery but still didn't get cranking. Checked the solenoid next and everything seemed normal, so I pulled off the starter and it looks like the solder melted out of the armature connections again. What appeared to be a ball of solder fell out of the cap and there was also visible solder splatter on the brush wire insulation.
I don't think fixing the starter is a big deal, but what do I need to do to keep it from happening again? I put in a brand new water pump impeller, however I also discovered the engine doesn't have a thermostat installed. Would the lack of a thermostat cause it to run hotter at lower RPM conditions? I would think it would be more a case of running too cool, but that's not what I'm experiencing at all. Is there anything else I should look for?
Thanks for the assistance--I'm still pretty new to marine engines.
After deciding to go ahead and buy the tune-up parts to fix everything up right, I started having starter problems. I pulled it off and took it to a local auto electrical shop--they said it had an open in the armature--probably due to getting hot enough (~450 degrees) to melt the solder out of the connections to the brush contacts. They fixed it all up and everything was peachy. I installed new points, carb kits, and water pump impeller, and took it back to the lake. The motor ran fine, but when idling around for 5-10 minutes the heat indicator would come on. Revving the engine up for a little bit would turn the indicator off and I wasn't overly concerned.
Fast forward to today--getting ready to take the boat back out with my girlfriend. I had the trailer all hooked up, gas mixed, cooler packed, and everything ready to go. Before we pulled out I hooked the battery up and tried the key--and got nothing. Suspecting the battery, I switched to the trolling motor battery but still didn't get cranking. Checked the solenoid next and everything seemed normal, so I pulled off the starter and it looks like the solder melted out of the armature connections again. What appeared to be a ball of solder fell out of the cap and there was also visible solder splatter on the brush wire insulation.
I don't think fixing the starter is a big deal, but what do I need to do to keep it from happening again? I put in a brand new water pump impeller, however I also discovered the engine doesn't have a thermostat installed. Would the lack of a thermostat cause it to run hotter at lower RPM conditions? I would think it would be more a case of running too cool, but that's not what I'm experiencing at all. Is there anything else I should look for?
Thanks for the assistance--I'm still pretty new to marine engines.