91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

[jmoore73]

I have 91 Maxum 1800 with a mercruiser 3.0l. Today I had it out on the lake, and it started right up, and ran well all morning. I shut it down to drift a little and fish, and when I went to restart, the starter just spun, but the engine wasn't turning over at all. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

This is my first post by the way. Love the info on here.

 

[achris]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

Welcome to iBoats and glad you are enjoying it so far.

Sounds like a starter problem, like the Starter 'drive' has failed. They have an internal clutch system. You will need to remove the starter and take it to an auto sparkie. Replacing the drive shouldn't be that expensive, but while he has the starter, have him give it a brush check too... Worth the extra money.

The other possibility is you have lost a few teeth from the flywheel. That is not good. Engine out.

Chris.....

 

[mpdive]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

Sounds like the starter drive or bendix is starting to "go south". As long as the motor is good just replace the drive and brushes while it's out. Just as achris mentioned.

 

[jmoore73]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

Thank you both for the info. Will any auto store be able to do this? Thee starter motor itself is pretty new, previous owner had an auto starter in it. Are there any photos or diagrams that will show me what the Bendix looks like down there? Also is it possible that there is just a dirty connection somewhere?

 

[achris]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

If that is a car starter you need to replace it will a PROPER marine starter, or risk having the boat go 'BOOM' one day. The drive/bendix is the small gear wheel on the end of the starter that engages with the flywheel.

 

[mpdive]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

If you could hear the starter spinning then there is probably agood connection. If it's clicking then a possible bad connection. As achris stated, a marine starter ONLY. EBAY may be a good source for a marine starter. Look at it this way, maybe the failure happened this way so that you could later avoid the big bang. See, there's a silver lining in every cloud.....

 

[jmoore73]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

It was a car starter but is now a marine starter.

 

[mpdive]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

Good. Now just put a new drive in it and go boating.

 

[jmoore73]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

Sounds simple enough. Thank you for the input.

 

[mpdive]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

Your welcome. And welcome to IBOATS

 

[Fishermark]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

I agree it sounds like a bad bendix. You wrote:

Thee starter motor itself is pretty new,

It should be covered under warranty I would think. Where did you get it? It used to be common and easy to buy various parts for starters like the bendix or solenoid... but most people today simply replace the whole unit.

As an aside, I like what Chris writes about taking it to an auto sparky. I think that is down under slang for an alternator/starter repair shop.

 

[achris]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

...As an aside, I like what Chris writes about taking it to an auto sparky. I think that is down under slang for an alternator/starter repair shop.

Auto = Automotive
Sparky = Electrician

Automotive electrician specialises in repairs to car (for you yanks , car = auto-mobile) electrical systems, including alternators and starter motors.

Cheers....

 

[jmoore73]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

So I took the starter unit out and took it to local marina for bench test. The bendix gear spun out under load and they told me it looks fine. I did buy a new solenoid at their recommendation for $20, and installed that on a plate on the engine replacing the old one. Hooked everything back up and... still spinning with no engagement. I am assuming if the starter is good, i must have some poor connections somewhere. My next step tomorrow is to clean every ground wire connection I can find, maybe jump the battery or starter from my truck, and if it still doesn't engage i will assume the starter is toast. Or at least the bendix gear drive...

Any other suggestions? The fly wheel does have all of its teeth upon inspection with the starter removed.

 

[jmoore73]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

oh, and I have had the boat all of a week. The starter "looks" new, and the prev owner told me he had it and the ignition swithch replaced recently, but to be honest, based on automotive experience, the starter looks like a rebuild not new...it runs awesome when it was running, so i am optimistic, just got to get that starter to turn the engine over again!...

 

[mpdive]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

Put a voltmeter on it and make sure it's around nine and a half volts cranking. If the starter is going bad it will not spin the bendix fast enough to engage the flywheel.

 

[achris]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

These starters use a solenoid to pull a fork with the bendix on. And the motor only starts to spin once the fork is pulled and bendix engaged. Pull the starter again and take it to a PROPER Auto-electrician. The test the marina guys did DOES NOT test the clutch inside the bendix! It needs to be properly load tested, not just check to see if it is pulling the fork and spinning the bendix, we already know it's doing that.

 

[oops!]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

if it happens again (after you do what achris said) take the key out of the ignition.....turn the crankshaft 14 turn by hand.....then re insert key and trry the motor.....if it works.....its the ring gear.

the ring gear need not be missing teeth.....if they are worn on the edge....you will not have engagement.

 

[achris]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

....turn the crankshaft 14 turn by hand.....

14 turns I think he means 1/4 turn.....

 

[jmoore73]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

So latest update. Had a buddy come over, hooked up to my truck battery and the starter caught the fly wheel for a second, then spun again with no engagement. Removed the starter and tested it. Seemed to be ok, bendix spun out. but the edge of the bendix seemed worn. reinstalled it and nothing, still spinning free. I am guessing I have a crappy rebuilld on my hands. Any thoughts before I drop $150-$200?

 

[Fishermark]

Re: 91 mercruiser 3.0. starter spinning, engine not so much.

Any thoughts before I drop $150-$200?

Yeah - shop around. You can pick up marine starters online for around $50. Like here for example.