1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

[Don Dickinson]

hi,
i just uncovered and tried to start my 1987 150xp. i put in the freshly charged battery and tried to turn it over with muffs on. it made a grinding sound like either it was having problems turning the fly-wheel or the battery was low. result was the flywheel was turning way too slow to turn the engine over. i figured my battery might be hosed, so i tried another freshly charged battery ... then another. i figure all 3 batteries can't be dead since they all seem to have a good charge. the outboard was stored outside for the winter and was properly winterized (fogged the cylinders, changed lower-unit oil, etc). any advice on what to try next?

tia
don

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

i should add i'm really excited to get it on the water because i put smart tabs on it last week! thanks john and all the nauticus people. very helpful, very friendly! i assume they'll work great from all the feedback i've received and read, but i need to get the engine started to find out. lol
-don

 

[vince champion]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

Not a pro but the last motor i had Started fine until one day it wouldnt start. It cranked but wont fire up. I realize the teeth on the bendix was all torn apart. This was a 1979 motor. Changed the bendix and she started like a beauty.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

First thing to do is check the connections on the motor end.Clean them all up and put them back on.A weak ground or connection is the most common cause.

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

good advice! i'll check/tighten all the connections. the starter and flywheel teeth look ok to me.

thanks
don

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

You can try connecting battery cables directly to the starter. If you get normal rotation, then you have a wiring problem-or a bad solenoid. Also, remove the plugs and turn the engine over a few rotations, then put the plugs back in. (If you get too much fogging oil in it, you could have a hydraulic lock).

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

ok, here's where i'm at:

1. i checked the voltage at the starter while cranking the engine with plugs in ... it was around 9v.
2. i checked the voltage at the starter while cranking without plugs and it was about 11v.
3. without the plugs in, the flywheel spins about as i would expect.
4. with the plugs in the fly wheel spins hesitantly and rhythmically. it spins for 1/2 a second, then pauses, then spins for 1/2seconds. kind of chugging "rum, rum rum". way too slow to turn it over.

i read somewhere this board that putting some marvel's mystery oil in the cylinder, tilting the motor up, and letting it sit might loosen things up. i know that the engine was improperly propped by the previous owner and there was excessive oil left unburnt in the cylinders. i fixed the prop problem (with the help of this board) the first week i got it (last september). i wonder if the oil in the cylinders is gumming things up? further advice would be appreciated.

tia
don

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

Put your POS voltmeter lead on the battery POS terminal and the voltmeter NEG lead on the large incoming solenoid/battery terminal post and give her juice. If the meter reads more than .3 volts, the battery cable is bad, corroded or you have a faulty connection (loose).

Next, connect the POS lead to the incoming large solenoid post and the NEG lead to the outgoing large solenoid post while giving her juice. If the voltmeter reads greater than .2 volts, the solenoid is bad, corroded or has a faulty connection.

Next, connect the POS lead to the outgoing large solenoid post and the negative voltmeter lead to the starter positive post and give her juice. A reading of over .2 volts indicates faulty wiring between the solenoid and the starter.

Finally, connect the NEG lead to the NEG battery post and the POS lead to the engine block and crank the engine. A reading greater than .3 volts indicates a faulty negative cable, corrosion or a faulty connection.

Disconnect and inspect the large red harness plug in the cowl. Clean it as best you can with electrical contact cleaner, smear some grease around the contact edges and reconnect. Now use the ignition switch to try and start the engine. If it works every time the connector was the culprit.

Put the POS voltmeter lead on the small terminal on the solenoid. The NEG lead goes to ground. Have someone turn the ignition key to START. If you don't see 12V troubleshoot the harness between the engine and control box. If 12V is present every time, the switch is good.

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

wow thanks for the details. no luck though here's what i got:

1........... result = 0.1 volts
Put your POS voltmeter lead on the battery POS terminal and the voltmeter NEG lead on the large incoming solenoid/battery terminal post and give her juice. If the meter reads more than .3 volts, the battery cable is bad, corroded or you have a faulty connection (loose).

2........... result = 0 volts (or very close)
Next, connect the POS lead to the incoming large solenoid post and the NEG lead to the outgoing large solenoid post while giving her juice. If the voltmeter reads greater than .2 volts, the solenoid is bad, corroded or has a faulty connection.

3.......... result = 0 volts or very close
Next, connect the POS lead to the outgoing large solenoid post and the negative voltmeter lead to the starter positive post and give her juice. A reading of over .2 volts indicates faulty wiring between the solenoid and the starter.

4....... result = .4 volts. but after cleaning, reconnecting, got it down to .15
Finally, connect the NEG lead to the NEG battery post and the POS lead to the engine block and crank the engine. A reading greater than .3 volts indicates a faulty negative cable, corrosion or a faulty connection.

5........ result = did it. took apart all, used steel wool & battery cleaner on all
Disconnect and inspect the large red harness plug in the cowl. Clean it as best you can with electrical contact cleaner, smear some grease around the contact edges and reconnect. Now use the ignition switch to try and start the engine. If it works every time the connector was the culprit.

6.......... result = consistent 12v
Put the POS voltmeter lead on the small terminal on the solenoid. The NEG lead goes to ground. Have someone turn the ignition key to START. If you don't see 12V troubleshoot the harness between the engine and control box. If 12V is present every time, the switch is good.

i switched batteries and repeated the tests with similar results.

so, i'm not sure what's up. seems like the load is too big for the starter. i put some marvel's mystery oil in each cylinder earlier and am now letting it sit, tilted up, for a bit. perhaps it will get better?

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

Did you try to jump the starter directly with a pair of booster cables?

If is still does not spin your starter will need to be rebuilt.

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

oh, forgot to mention that. yes, i jumped the starter directly (with a fresh battery and my car's jumper cables). it spun great. the gears didn't go up and engage the flywheel when i did it that way. i assume that's normal.

thanks

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

should i be able to spin the flywheel (clockwise of course ) by hand. i can do it, but it takes an awful lot of effort.
tia
don

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

hi again, here's something else i tried.

1........ i put a fresh battery in the boat
2........ i had my wife turn the key and start it cranking
3........ while she was doing that i hooked up a second battery (via jumper cables) directly the pos/neg terminals of the starter motor itself
4........ same result (ug). the fly wheel spins about 120 degrees, then pauses, then goes another 120degrees. results is about one full rotation every 1.5 seconds. obviously not enough to turn over the boat.

my guesses are:

1. bad ground on the starter
2. bad starter
3. something wrong inside the cylinders that makes the flywheel turn too hard for the starter to crank.

further trouble-shooting ideas greatly appreciated.
also, if there's a good boat mechanic in minneapolis, i'd be happy to pay someone to make my engine troubles go away

-don

 

[ezeke]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

I'm trying to understand what is happening, but there is no negative terminal on the starter, The starter is bolted directly to the block for ground.

Are you clamping the negative battery cable on the starter housing?

Have you cleaned the starter bendix and shaft?

Is there plenty of oil in the gearcase?

If you have the engine in neutral and all of the spark plugs out, you may find that turning the flywheel is easy, so try it that way to be sure that it is the starter and not the engine.

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

>>>>>>>>>>
I'm trying to understand what is happening, but there is no negative terminal on the starter, The starter is bolted directly to the block for ground.
<<<<<<<<
sorry for the confusion. there is a negative terminal on the starter. the neg cable from the battery on the boat hooks directly to it. the boat that holds it goes right through to the engine block. i did check with an ohm meter that there is 0 resistance from anywhere on the engine block to that terminal, if that helps.

<<<<<<<<<
Are you clamping the negative battery cable on the starter housing?
>>>>>>>>>>
i'm clamping the negative cable to the terminal on the starter.

<<<<<<<<
Have you cleaned the starter bendix and shaft?
>>>>>>>>
haven't done that, but it seems ok. it spins easily when there are no spark plugs in.

<<<<<<<<
Is there plenty of oil in the gearcase?
>>>>>>>>
the lower unit? i did check that. i filled it while winterizing and tried to put more in yesterday ...it was full.

<<<<<<<
If you have the engine in neutral and all of the spark plugs out, you may find that turning the flywheel is easy, so try it that way to be sure that it is the starter and not the engine.
>>>>>>>
cool. i did that right away. the starter turns the flywheel great without the plugs in.

thanks
don

 

[Dawgs]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

don i had a similiar problem and it was a bad ground. try this web site


http://www.marineengine.com/discus/messages/12478/148903.shtml

 

[ezeke]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

".....the bo(l)t that holds it goes right through to the engine block."

Yes, I would definitely take that bolt out, clean it up and replace it.

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

well, i gave up and took it to a repair shop hopefully its just a bad ground. i did take out, clean, replace all of the bolts on the starter, but it didn't fix anything. i'll be sure to post here when i find out what it was. probably be about 4 days before they get to it.

many thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

don

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

well, apparently the tests i did under the guidance of those here were correct. according to the marina i took the boat to, my starter is shot. they told me it was shot and their rebuild guy didn't want to touch it for some reason. so, i'm off to pickup a starter tomorrow; hopefully be boating by the weekend. thanks to all. if the saga continues (gosh i hope not), i'll report here.

best regards,
don

 

[Don Dickinson]

Re: 1987 evinrude 150xp hard cranking

Final result:

the new starter fixed the problem.

thanks to everyone for your suggestions. as the tests everyone here suggested all turned out clean, i suspected the starter, but didn't have enough confidence in that diagnosis to risk buying a starter and installing it myself. i had a shop diagnosis it, i bought the starter, and had them put it in.

thanks again!
don