Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

having a very difficult time removing starter assembly from a 19" wellcraft bowrider with a mercruiser 170. i have removed the 2 bolts connecting the bracket to the block as well as the 2 long bolts that bolt the assembly to the rear of the motor... however it will not budge. appears to be pretty corroded, ive pryed/wailed on it with a hammer but it wont move. am i missing a bolt or something? any suggestions for breaking it free?

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

They can be a pain, see if you can remove the bracket completely from the starter, I seem to recall that makes it easier to move the starter. If you are going to replace it, you might consider a permanent magnet, gear reduction starter, about 2/3 the size and no bracket needed. I can dig up the part# if you are interested. Good luck.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

i am going to replace it, assuming i can get this one off haha. but as far as hardware goes, it chould be just the two bolts in the rear and the bracket correct?

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

MX207billy said:

i am going to replace it, assuming i can get this one off haha. but as far as hardware goes, it chould be just the two bolts in the rear and the bracket correct?

Click to expand...

That is it, I think I had to remove the bracket to remove mine.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

MX207billy said:

having a very difficult time removing starter assembly from a 19" wellcraft bowrider with a mercruiser 170. i have removed the 2 bolts connecting the bracket to the block as well as the 2 long bolts that bolt the assembly to the rear of the motor... however it will not budge. appears to be pretty corroded, ive pryed/wailed on it with a hammer but it wont move. am i missing a bolt or something? any suggestions for breaking it free?

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Billy -

Go here -

http://www.perfprotech.com/store/assembly/STARTER-MOTOR-AND-WIRING-HARNESS,908-10,84-98269A 9.aspx

and scroll down to see the exploded diagram. You can see that the two long bolts you mentioned are all that holds the starter on.

EXCEPT that it looks to me like the flange of the starter housing is more than likely a tight fit. So I imagine that it probably tends to get very stuck after awhile, what with corrosion and all. I'd suggest soaking that area with some penetrating oil or whatever, and then using a small pry bar to try to work it loose. Removing the bracket, as Terry suggests, probably gives you easier access.

I'm getting ready to remove my starter and it looks like a real tight working area on my boat. I always like to look at the schematic before I start, just so's I know what it all REALLY looks like.

Assuming I haven't done the job before.

Good luck to you and me.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

It is a HUGE PITA getting the starter out of there between the hoses and exchanger, had to remove the bracket to get it out, once I got it loose. That is why I went with the smaller starter, no bracket and 10 min. to install.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

stonyloam said:

It is a HUGE PITA getting the starter out of there between the hoses and exchanger, had to remove the bracket to get it out, once I got it loose. That is why I went with the smaller starter, no bracket and 10 min. to install.

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Ya, I just found that out a little while ago. But the good news for me is that after I removed the two long bolts holding the starter on, it fell right out of the housing. So Billy's must be rusted stuck in the housing or stuck for some other reason because it's just the two bolts that held mine on.

Billy, is there any chance that the starter gear could be jammed against the flywheel teeth? Was it working properly last time you tried to start the engine -- or just crank it over?

I didn't see that bracket on my engine ("BRACKET ASSY (#97259A 1)" which is Ref ID #8 on that page I linked) but maybe it's there. I have my head off and it looked like it might have been easier getting to the two long bolts than it would have been with the head on. But maybe not.

Anyway, after pulling the starter back out of the housing I can see it's going to be fun trying to get it out between the one hose and the heat exchanger. I don't even know if it will come out of there. Looks like a mighty tight squeeze to me.

I didn't try to squeeze it out of there yet because I can't get one of the wires off the solenoid. Then it got dark so I've quit for the day. I'll try to get it out of there tomorrow.

But at least it literally fell out of the housing after I removed the two long bolts and just nudged it a bit with my hands.

So mine wasn't stuck at all.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

T-Max said:

I didn't see that bracket on my engine ("BRACKET ASSY (#97259A 1)"

I can see it's going to be fun trying to get it out between the one hose and the heat exchanger.

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Yeah, somebody thought it was too much of a PITA to put it back on, I can understand that

You don't know the half of it, but it will come out of there, but it is not easy. That is why I bought my sweet little 2-2591-DR-2 starter. In or out in 15 min.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

i believe my problem lies in the flange, i did put a pipe on the balancer and it does turn over nicely. im at work now on a 72hr shift (paramedic) but as soon as i get home friday am im going to just try different penetrating oils and play with it. thank for the help, just wanted to make sure there was another bolt in there i was fighting against.


any tips on how to get behind it just right so u can hit straight out towards the front of the motor?

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

Just two bolts, just make sure you didn't remove a wrong bolt there, it is pretty hard to see in there (no offense meant there, I cranked on one of my starter bolts for a while before I realized I had my backside wrench on the wrong nut). I would suggest removing the bracket completely. You will have to remove it anyway to get the starter out. Then remove both starter bolts completely from the starter. With the bracket off you might be able to get a piece of wood, like a 2x2 on the back of the starter and tap it inward toward the block to free it up (be gentle). Good luck.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

stonyloam said:

Just two bolts, just make sure you didn't remove a wrong bolt there, it is pretty hard to see in there (no offense meant there, I cranked on one of my starter bolts for a while before I realized I had my backside wrench on the wrong nut). ...

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Billy -

After removing my starter this afternoon, I'm wondering if you really did remove both of the correct bolts that hold the starter on. Maybe you did remove a wrong bolt? As I said, my starter came out easily.

Both long bolts have nuts on the other end -- at least on my engine. You have to put a 9/16" wrench (or socket) on the nut AND on the bolt head. So if you didn't remove two bolts that have nuts on the other end, maybe one of your bolts wasn't the right one. It does sound like you've got something still holding it on. Then again, maybe it is just stuck.

The correct bolts are located 180 degrees apart. See the schematic in the link I put up for you. They are the same length and the same size (have the same size bolt heads and same size nuts, all of which are 9/16" wrench size).

I used a drop light and mirror to look back there, but after locating and removing the first bolt it was easier for me to locate the 2nd one by feeling for it with my hand. There IS another bolt head back there but it looked larger to me (looking at it with the mirror) and I don't know what that one is yet.

From your description it sounds like you've removed the correct two bolts, but I'm a little surprised your starter is still so firmly attached. I'd double-check it if I were you.

Also, you say you can turn the motor over rather easily by hand. So the starter gear and flywheel aren't jammed and thus that's not jamming your starter and keeping it from coming loose. So there's some other reason it's not coming off. As I said, mine came off very easily after I removed the two bolts. It wasn't stuck at all.

I'd check to make sure you removed the right bolts -- then check it again.

That is, before I'd go pounding on anything.

Remember: measure twice, cut once.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

T-Max said:

...I didn't try to squeeze it out of there yet because I can't get one of the wires off the solenoid. Then it got dark so I've quit for the day. I'll try to get it out of there tomorrow....

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Terry -

I just got my starter offically off and OUT. I managed to get that troublesome 5/16" nut off the yellow-wire terminal on the solenoid and then I was ready to try to slide the starter out of there between the heat exchanger and the hoses.

It went pretty easily enough. Ya have to twist it a bit at times and move the hoses over it as it comes out, but it does fit thru there okay.

I do have a question for you. You seem knowledgable regarding the wiring. I have one white wire with a green stripe that has a terminal end on it and is just hanging down loose. It comes out of the same harness that feeds the water cooled voltage regulator and also the slave solenoid. Any idea what that's for?

I also note the black wire -- which I believe goes to that switch that comes into play when you're shifting from forward to reverse (I forget what it's called but it seems that it cuts the engine off momentarily?) -- has been cut and the end taped over. The black wire on that switch is also cut and taped, so I guess somebody thought that switch wasn't important or just chose to bypass it for some reason.

BTW, the reasons I wanted to take the starter out are twofold: 1) To make sure there was nothing going on there that would account for my "stuck" engine, and 2) To see if I could maybe get a pry bar into there and perhaps gently pry on a flywheel tooth to try to break the engine free.

Without breaking a flywheel tooth, that is.

I did get a pretty good purchase on that aspect of the matter. I "schooshed" the bar pretty firmly (but gently) a few times to see if the engine would break loose, but no good. I've determined that pistons 4 & 1 are not yet quite at TDC, so I tried my schoosing in a clockwise direction such that the stuck piston (#4) would go down and into a (hopefully) non-corroded area of the cylinder wall. But to no avail.

So my next step is to remove the harmonic balancer, just to make sure there's nothing stuck there. Then I'll also likely drain the engine oil (I think that's okay but why not do it anyway) just to make sure something's not stuck down below, then I'll make some sort of plywood-insert-protection for the top of piston #4 and have my helper tap on that as I schoosh some more in the proper direction with the pry bar and see if we can't budge this puppy into some movement.

Any info you might have on that white/green-striped wire greatly appreciated.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

Green/white: shift interrupter. Need that to get boat out of gear when engine is running on the water. Got to be fixed.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

Remove the U -bolts that hold the heat exchanger onto its braket. This will allow the exchanger to drop and give you an extra few inchs and also allows you to move it around for more room, the hoses will sapport the weight.

If you indeed removed the proper two bolt that hold it to the flywheel housing and the bolts that hold the rear braket to the block, it should have fell free under its on weight.

The mounting bolts for the flywheel cover can be mistaken for the starter bolts but the starter bolts are 4-5 inches long and have nuts on the starter side, so I would beleive that you would have noticed if you got the wrong ones.

I assume that the starter does not function at all thus the reason for removal.

But if it does turn what I would do is put the two bolts that hold it to the flywheel house back in and tighten them to the point just before making conttact with the houseing so the bolts are just barly loose , hook up the wireing for the starter and give it a quick crank, the jerk of the starter should break it free with out allowing any damage.

If the starter is dead and thats not any option try some PB blaster or Krol Oil. let it soak into the seem and then wack the back of the starter. I wouldnt try to slip something between the starter and flywheel housing and pry, you could cause danage to the houseing.


There is a link in my signiture to a 3.7L rebuild I did over the winter. the only differance between it and your engine will be the Intake and carb. Everything else will be the same. It may help.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

MX207billy said:

i believe my problem lies in the flange, i did put a pipe on the balancer and it does turn over nicely. im at work now on a 72hr shift (paramedic) but as soon as i get home friday am im going to just try different penetrating oils and play with it. thank for the help, just wanted to make sure there was another bolt in there i was fighting against.
any tips on how to get behind it just right so u can hit straight out towards the front of the motor?

Click to expand...

Billy, how are you making out? Give us some feedback as it might prove useful to others. Thanks.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

Thanks for all of you're help, I'm pulling the starter from my 170 hp 1986 sea ray. I have little if any room to get a box end wrench over the nuts. I just bought a rachet box end wrench and hope to try again tomorrow,, any other access hints.?

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

Stony, or anyone else who knows:

You posted the part #: 2-2591-DR-2

Is this the correct one for the Mercuiser 170?
I have found it here:
http://www.motorcitymaxx.com/memaoe5050502.html
but they are out of stock at the moment.

Do you know of any other places that sells these? I'm getting so much conflicting information from the websites that I'm getting frustrated. 9 tooth, 11 tooth, RH rotation, LH rotation, 12 3/4" flywheel, 14 1/4" flywheel....AHHH!!
Thanks for any help,
Justin

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

jgoeden said:

Stony, or anyone else who knows:

You posted the part #: 2-2591-DR-2

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That is it! Mercruiser 4 cyl, 470 engine, right? Here it is on e-bay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I got mine from a local auto electric place. Probably can order one through a local auto parts store. Don't worry about that other stuff, get that part# and it will work. Good luck.

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

Thanks Terry! Now the guy mentioned that they pulled them from the shelf because the casings were having issues with cracking, so they're fixing and he estimated to have them back on the shelves in a few months. You haven't had any issues have you?

Thanks again, I'll check out that Ebay and maybe some parts stores!

Justin

Re: Mercruiser 170 starter removal HELP PLEASE

So far so good!