1978 evinrude 85 hp fly wheel wil not turn fast enough to crank over

[Jencyboy151]

I am pretty new to boating and have come upon a big issue with my 1978 evinrude 85hp outboard. I had it in the water running good for about 10 minutes. I heard a clank noise and it continued to run properly in idle. The boat was still on the trailer at the time of this. I shut the motor off and pulled it out of the water to check a few things with my trailer. When I dropped the boat back in the water and tried to start it again the fly wheel was really tight and would not spin. I have changed the starter out and still have the same issue. They fly wheel spins with new starter but very slow, not enough to crank over the motor. Can someone point me in the right direction. The battery is brand new also. Thanks for any help out on this issue

 

[Bosunsmate]

Re: 1978 evinrude 85 hp fly wheel wil not turn fast enough to crank over

Try pulling the spark plugs out and then spin the engine. Does it spin easy, it shouldnt take much effort.
If it does bind up you will probably need to drop the LU and try spinning it again to see if you can isolate problem to motor or LU

 

[F_R]

Re: 1978 evinrude 85 hp fly wheel wil not turn fast enough to crank over

Be prepared for the worst. Something broke. The only question now is what was it. Only some troubleshooting and inspection can answer that. I'm wondering why in the world you would replace the starter before doing this?

 

[racerone]

Re: 1978 evinrude 85 hp fly wheel wil not turn fast enough to crank over

Ditto that--------I agree with the above post.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Could be a problem with the gears in the lower unit, or something internal to the powerhead. Pulling the gearcase off and trying to start the engine will eliminate the gearcase as a potential problem. Or, you can pull the spark plugs and shine a pencil light inside. See if any damage has occurred. It's also possible to see powerhead damage by pulling off the side bypass covers. You will see the rings on the pistons-make sure they are intact, esp the top ring. As a last resort, you can always pull the heads for the best visual inspection.

 

[racerone]

There are no bypass covers on a 3 cylinder.---I am sure the original poster with the V-4 has the problem solved by now.