What the HECK is up with this starter.

Marz-Bar

Seaman
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
50
03 90hp. Johnson. I bought it new. Did not see water last year. In the driveway in March i noticed starter drag. Took it apart, full of moisture and rust. Cleaned it out, worked well. In the water in April, fishing almost every weekend. Last Saturday i noticed starter drag. After that tried to move the boat, no starter. Towed back to my slip, took the starter off. With pliers, gently turned shaft of starter. Took it apart, can not find anything out of the ordinary. Any ideas. Thanks
 

Walker

Captain
Joined
Jun 15, 2002
Messages
3,085
Re: What the HECK is up with this starter.

Battery, battery cables, or cable connections?????
 

Marz-Bar

Seaman
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
50
Re: What the HECK is up with this starter.

Thats what i thought at first,when i pulled the starter at my slip it was frozen, but not by much.
 

jtexas

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 13, 2003
Messages
8,646
Re: What the HECK is up with this starter.

Need a better description of your symptoms.
What happens when you turn the key? Any sounds at all? Solenoid click? Does it spin at all? Did you measure voltage at the starter terminal?

Have you bench-tested the starter? (12V battery & jumper cables - secure it to the bench & beware of sparks).

The manual describes how to test the armature & commutator.

Wonder how it got wet before...maybe this is a katrina/rita salvage motor? Probably just shot from the previous trouble.
 

Marz-Bar

Seaman
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
50
Re: What the HECK is up with this starter.

When i turned the key the solenoid engages but the starter did not turn. Did not measure voltage at starter after solenoid because i heard the solenoid kick in assumed there was voltage on starter side of solenoid. Did bench test starter and it was good. I dont know why it froze up like it did.
 

jtexas

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 13, 2003
Messages
8,646
Re: What the HECK is up with this starter.

Could be left over effects of previous corrosion incident, resolved merely by disassembly & reassembly - wouldn't be the first time for an electic motor.

You can get an abnormally high voltage drop in a failing solenoid sometimes. Or it can still sound a click even if the battery isn't supplying quite enough to turn it.
 
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