Starter problems with 2002 125 Mercury

[mike watts]

I have a 2002 125hp Mercury the starter does not kick in when I attempt to start the motor the bendix? is not going up to kick in the starter but if I take a screwdriver and push up on it the motor then starts but the next time I attempt to start it does the same thing.

[Silvertip]

Rotate the bendix up the shaft manually and clean the grooves. If any binding is felt, remove the bendix and check the grooves and the ridges in the bendix for scoring or something that is preventing smooth movement. The spring may also be weak. The bendix needs to move freely on the shaft and the battery needs to be fully charged so the starter motor has enough power to kick the bendix upward.

[Silvertip]

Rotate the bendix up the shaft manually and clean the grooves. If any binding is felt, remove the bendix and check the grooves and the ridges in the bendix for scoring or something that is preventing smooth movement. The spring may also be weak. The bendix needs to move freely on the shaft and the battery needs to be fully charged so the starter motor has enough power to kick the bendix upward.

[mike watts]

Thanks for the quick response. A silly question I know but is it a major job to take the bendix off. Do you think I might need a new bendix? If the spring is weak do I need to replace it also?

[Dead Eye]

Had a simular problem. There wasn't enough amps in the battery to engague the bendix. Starter would turn but the bendix would not go up. Ended out to what i thought to be a fully charged battery, got it checked one cell bad, Got new battery and off we went. Dead Eye

[mike watts]

I will check the battery to see if it is okay. I thinking that the bendix is not moving freely but it does spin everytime I try to start the motor. I will also try the WD 40. Thanks again.

[Silvertip]

GO easy on the lubricants on the bendix. You don't want gunk build up there. That merely needs to be clean and free of nicks. The nut at the end of the starter shaft comes off and then the bendix can be removed. Ensure you have a good battery and connections on both ends of both battery cables are clean and tight.

[mike watts]

Thanks for the help. My battery was good but low on charge I cleaned the post but it still didn't work. I took the starter off and took to local rebuilder he charged me $30.00 to replace the shaft he said that it was bad along with bendix. Thanks again for the answers.