Motor nearly stalled. Starter spinning freely after shut down

Mhorvath1218

Cadet
Joined
Jun 26, 2018
Messages
8
Hey guys,

1996 3.0GS

Took out the boat yesterday for the 2nd time since changing the shift and throttle cables (shifts nice and smooth now!). Friday it ran great. Did about a 50 mile cruise. Then Sunday it started and Idled out of the no wake zone fine, l gave it some gas and it felt fine for a minute and then began to sputter a bit and nearly stalled. I slowed down and shut the motor down.

When I went to start up, the starter sounded like it was spinning very fast but not engaging the flywheel at all. All i can hear is the high pitched whine of the starter spinning while the key is held. Checked the battery, connections, wiring, etc... no obvious issues and good voltage. Seems pretty cut and dry that the starter failed right?

I pulled the starter out today, which was suprisingly very easy considering all I’ve read on these forums is what a PITA they are to remove. It had a build date of 2003 so I figure 15 years is solid for a starter and its just time for a new one.

Before I buy one though, is there anything else that could cause this? I mean, its one thing for the starter to fail, but why would the engine sputter/stall? Could they be related or maybe coincidental? Anything else I should check?

Also, do all the volvo penta motors take the same starter? Mine has no part or serial #’s, but has one long bolt further back more towards the bottom of the motor and then a short bolt that was closer and easier to access. From a quick search it seems most models have 2 long bolts. Does it matter which i get?
 

wbhrules

Cadet
Joined
Aug 26, 2018
Messages
8
It does matter which one you get. The starters are different between the motor sizes as well as manufacturers.
I dont believe the stalling and the starter have anything in common with each other.
 
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