Starter bendix riding up when under way

Hi All,

I've got a 1971 Evinrude 25 hp Sportster that I bought last year for $80. It's been a journey getting the motor back to life, but now it's running pretty darned good.....except that when it's running at WOT or nearly so, the bendix gear rides up and rub on the fly wheel. As soon as I throttle down, it slides back down out of the way, but I notice that the shaft keeps rotating slowly. I've cleaned and oiled the tracks it rides but no luck. I've temporarily fixed it with a collar made of cardboard and electrical tape, but that of course disables the electric start.

Could it be that the spring has weakened? Do I just need to do a better job cleaning & lubing?

Thanks in advance for help & wisdom

Re: Starter bendix riding up when under way

Caused by either a weak spring or a starter solenoid that is shorting across the terminals which is resulting in having the starter to be engaged.

If possible, temporarily disconnect (at the starter solenoid) the cable leading to the starter to determine which of the above causes apply.

Re: Starter bendix riding up when under way

I disconnected the cable from the starter, and the problem persisted.
Weak spring, then

Thanks, Joe!

Joe Reeves said:

Caused by either a weak spring or a starter solenoid that is shorting across the terminals which is resulting in having the starter to be engaged.

If possible, temporarily disconnect (at the starter solenoid) the cable leading to the starter to determine which of the above causes apply.

Click to expand...

Re: Starter bendix riding up when under way

Glad you posted this, I bought a new starter a few months back and am having the same exact problem, only my bendix comes completely off the starter, somehow it manages to unthread the nut on top of the bendix, even when it's tightened down! I never thought to check out the solenoid, glad you posted this thread.

Re: Starter bendix riding up when under way

Jim311... Apply a little Loc-Tite to those threads before installing the nut. If you have a air powered impact tool that will accept the proper size socket for that nut, use it to tighten the nut.

Re: Starter bendix riding up when under way

Thanks I was afraid to over torqueing that little bolt down so I think I'll get some thread locker and snug it up as much as I can. Just didn't want to snap off the bolt and be really screwed. It still boggles my mind that the nut can be tightened down snug with a ratchet, fire up the motor, watch the bendix drop down, put the motor cover back on, motor to the ramp 3 minutes away, and the damn thing has unthreaded itself and shot off the nut and top cap into the housing of the motor! I just don't see how it's possible! Thanks for the help.

Re: Starter bendix riding up when under way

Update: it took quite a while for the replacement spring to arrive, but it fixed the issue. Yay!