70 HP evinrude starter problem

[troutman88]

I have an 81 model 70 h.p. evinrude that is having starting issues. I have a new battery and the starter is only a couple of years old. The starter worked ok yesterday until we got off the water when it would engage, but would not turn the motor over like if the battery is dead. The bendix would also stay in the up position. I charged the battery overnight but had the same results today. Tried another battery charger with no luck. It did this with an old battery earlier but bought the new battery and have had no problems until yesterday. Do you think it is the battery, starter, or somewhere in between?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

With good clean cables connected to the battery, making sure that the connections are absolutely clean and tight, temporarily connect those cables directly to the electric starter.

If the starter engages and cranks the engine normally, then obviously the electric starter is okay and the problem would be that at some point, the related starter cables are either loose, tight but dirty, or internally flawed.

If a cable problem, remove all cable connections, clean thoroughly, then retighten using a wrench or pliers..... no fingers on wing nuts if they exist.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

90% of starter problems are bad connections. remove and clean both ends of the battery cables, so that they are shiney, also the cable from the solenoid to starter. check for nicks in the cables. and make sure the connectors are on the wire good. the cable tend to corrode from the inside out, if nicked, corroded wires, and connections, heat up and cause resistance to the follow of electricity, thus the starter doesn't get enough. you can also take jumper cable pos battery post to large post on starter. with a good connection, the engine should spin. then if the starter is good clean everything and retest. then trouble shoot solenoid. starters can be rebuit at a starter/alternator shop, much cheaper than a new one.

also have the battery load tested at the auto parts store, free, i've had new batteries go bad

 

[troutman88]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

I tried connecting the battery cable directly to the starter. The starter turned the motor over well. I then connected the cable on the down side of the solenoid and it again turned the engine well. I connected the wires back as they should be and the starter would not turn the motor over. I reconnected the power cable directly to the starter and it would not turn over. The bottom of the starter felt pretty warm to the touch. I also took the starter off of the motor and connected to the battery with jumper cables. The starter seemed to be turning over well under no load. Still stumped.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

Get a multi meter and do a voltage drop test. The idea is that normally when you put both leads of a voltmeter on the same side of a circuit you should essentially get no reading. If you have a reading, more voltage is passing through the voltmeter than through the circuit. A voltage above a certain level is not acceptable and is what you will be testing for as described below.

To begin, connect your POS lead on the battery POS terminal and the NEG lead on the large incoming solenoid/battery terminal post and hit the starter switch. If the voltage meter reads more than .3 volts, the battery cable is bad, corroded or has a bad connection.

Now connect the POS lead to the incoming large solenoid post and the NEG lead to the outgoing large solenoid post and crank the starter. If the voltmeter reads greater than .2 volts, the solenoid is bad, corroded or has a bad connection.

Next, connect the positive lead to the outgoing large solenoid post and the negative voltmeter lead to the starter positive post and hit the starter switch. A reading of over .2 volts indicates a bad wire between the solenoid and the starter.

Lastly, connect the NEG battery post to the negative lead and the POS voltmeter lead to the engine block (no paint) and crank the engine. A reading of greater than .3 volts indicates a bad negative cable, corrosion or a bad cable connection.

Let us know what you find.

 

[JB]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

On most of those 70s the battery ground cable is bolted to the steel bypass cover on the engine, inviting corrosion.

After you scrupulously clean the cable end, bolt it to an alloy point, like the starter mount.

 

[troutman88]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

I replaced the solenoid, cleaned all the connections, and did the voltage drop test. Still the same result. I even recharged the battery, tried to start the motor again, then took the battery to have it load tested. The battery tested good. The starter still engages, but does not seem strong enough to turn the motor over. The bottom of the starter was warm to the touch when I did get it to turn over. I can turn the flywheel by hand so the motor does not seem too tight. I guess the next thing to try is to have the starter tested at a starter shop.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

Did you try 'jumping' the starter as TD stated.

If it does not spin like this, it is shot and should be rebuilt.

 

[troutman88]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

I by passed the solenoid and connected it directly to the battery before and it turned the motor over well. Reconnected through the solenoid and was back to not turning over. Disconnected the battery cable again and connected directly to starter, but it would not turn over. It is getting pretty warm to the touch at the base. The starter will turn over well under no load when removed from motor, it just does not appear to have enough strength to turn the motor when installed. As said earlier, the flywheel can be turned fairly easily by hand so there does not appear to be a motor problem.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

did you try the tests provided? what readings did you get? Did you follow JB''s advice?

Heat is a sure sign of resistance in a circuit.

 

[JB]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

PLEASE quit changing parts and messing with stuff. Do what Joe Reeves and Tashas Daddy said to do.

Why ask experts for advice if you are going to ignore it?

 

[ledgefinder]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

Just to pile on what Joe, JR & the others are saying...

For some reason, the starting circuit connections on outboards (and maybe it's just OMCs) have to be particularly good - meaning clean & tight. The solenoids are also a trouble spot, in my experience.

I've picked up three damned good outboards over the years, because the owners got low compression results due to poor connections, or a dirty (internally) solenoid.

One was on a beautiful 19' GradyWhite - about the first big boat I owned. Got it for a song because the guy (& I) thought the motor was blown.

The second was a mint 88SPL a few years later. Guy thought the compression was low, but it was just a dirty solenoid. Turned out to be a great motor - we kept it & used it for a long time. BTW, when I sold it, the guy & his kid who bought it put it (successfully) in the back seat of a Dodge Neon!

As I understood the matter more clearly, my conscience got the better of my avarice & I stopped buying motors that way. My last encounter with it was when I sold (cheaply) an old, but healthy, 50hp twin. The next year, the guy showed up in my yard, unannounced, towing his boat. He'd bought a brand new OMC starter for it, and I think a solenoid, and just couldn't get the thing to crank. I fixed his klutzy connections he'd made to his battery (the problem) and showed him that now the rig cranked fine. Without being sarcastic or anything but sympathetic, I mentioned that he probably didn't need to have purchased the expensive new starter & solenoid. Ungrateful moron proceeds to do a 3pt turn on my lawn, then gasses it, laying down two trenches. BTW, he's the building inspector of one of the toniest suburbs in CT; bet he's a peach to deal with.

Anyway, if I've bored you, it's just to illustrate the matter - those connections have to be good & solid. You can see that from how well the rig cranks when you direct connect the starter to the battery. Good luck!

 

[jtexas]

Re: 70 HP evinrude starter problem

First, recharge the battery.

you either have a faulty battery, faulty solenoid, faulty starter, a faulty cable (broken or corroded inside the insulation), or loose/corroded connections. Those are the only possibilities.

you've ruled out battery and starter. buying a new solenoid doesn't rule it out. anyway, hope you kept the old one as a spare.

If by "cleaned the connections" you mean anything other than disconnected and polished all the cabling from battery to solenoid to starter and from battery to engine block ground until they are shiny, and made 'em tight-tight-tight, then they're still suspect. I use a dremel with a wire brush, but sandpaper works pretty well, too.

take a jumper wire and touch one end to the large solenoid terminal on the battery side, and the other end to the small solenoid termal with yellow/red wire, *not* the small solenoid terminal with the black ground wire.

did the solenoid engage and spin the starter?