start motor gear spins but wont engage flywheel

M

mrjd

Recruit
Joined
Apr 19, 2009
Messages
1
I have a '93 Mercury outboard. When I try to start the motor, the starter gear spins like crazy and pops up a little bit, but not far enough to engage the flywheel.

I have charged the battery, and reseated the battery connections. Is it this possibly a solenoid problem?
 
This_lil_fishy

This_lil_fishy

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
841
Re: start motor gear spins but wont engage flywheel

Bad starter solenoid. Not sure if you can purchase one seperately for your motor or not. Otherwise it's a new starter or rebuild for you.

Ian
 
JB

JB

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Mar 25, 2001
Messages
45,907
Re: start motor gear spins but wont engage flywheel

When you "reseated battery connections", did you take off both ends of the cables, clean the ends and reinstall them? The battery ground cable to engine block cable and connection causes the majority of "bad battery" and "bad solenoid" mistakes.
 
saumon

saumon

Lieutenant
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Messages
1,452
Re: start motor gear spins but wont engage flywheel

A solenoid is a switch, so it either work or not, nothing halfway. If the starter turn, it work. If, like you said, it "spin like crazy", the bendix is more than likely stuck or gunked. Or there's not enough power to make it lift.

Diassemble and clean it or, if you're unsure, take it to any starter/alternator repair shop. That's one of the only marine part that doesn't require a marine shop to service.
 
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