Help me find a Starter Motor... Please!!!

[commsbiff]

Hi All,

I would really appreciate some help here. I require a new starter motor for my Searay Bowrider.

The engine is a 1989 5.7L V8 Mercruiser sterndrive.
Engine serial number: OC605273.
LH rotation.

My friend pulled the starter for me and I can confirm that it has an 11 tooth bendix and an offset bolt pattern. From my search on mercruiserparts dot com I think the Mercruiser part number I need is: 50-863007A1. I also believe I may need these bolts: 8053432.

Unfortunately, there is no Mercruiser dealer in Oman. I can spend a day driving to Dubai (which is almost out of the question due to other responsibilities), or I can try to source a local, compatible motor. I think it would be a lot easier for me to find a Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Yanmar or I think Volvo Penta starter motor.

Could anyone give me a steer as to which Brand / Part Number(s) would be compatible for my engine? If my engine is LH rotation, do I need a CW starter or CCW starter? I apologise if my question appears overly basic, but I'm really stuck here and haven't been able to use my boat all year. I will be most grateful for any assistance.

Regards, CB.

 

[achris]

:welcome: to iboats...

Have you tried to get your old starter repaired?
If that's not an option, just make absolutely sure you get a MARINE starter motor to replace it. Or have a repair shop pull the marinising bits out of the old one and put them into the new one (and stand there and watch him do it!).

The part number you have supplied is for the latest suppression. What is the original starter? A 12" or an 8" (PG200 or PG260)?

As for a source. Try an GM engine parts dealer. or a Delco Remy dealer.

BTW, LH is standard rotation...

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard. not sure where you are at, however many of the alternator/starter shops can rebuild them cheap. you have the most common engine for a marine I/O configuration. there are marine starter motors for the SBC to be found anywhere on the globe. Since you are in Dubai, go to the local volvo penta dealer and hit them up for a starter for an AQ225 or AQ271 of the same vintage. it will be the exact same starter motor supplied by GM to volvo as they supplied to Mercruiser you can even go to your local GM truck dealer and have them look in the industrial engine parts catalog (not the automotive parts).

However prior to spending money on replacing the starter, have you tried cleaning the contacts on all the battery cables (positive and ground) all the way to the battery. 90% of the time, the issue is a bad connection. Due to the low use, marine starters usually never wear out, and are usually only murdered by water in the bilge deep enough to cause the starter to be flooded (and then rust)

 

[commsbiff]

Hi achris, and thanks for the welcome.

I have actually had the starter repaired a couple of times over the last year, but I noted that the previous owner also had issues with it. To be honest, it's difficult to find someone trustworthy out here to do decent maintenance work. My buddy who pulled the starter for me is actually a marine engineer, but is very busy with work and his own large restoration projects and we rarely get the chance to get together and talk about solutions.

We are actually going to troubleshoot a much larger problem that might mean the engine is dead anyway. I had a particularly bad skiing accident in January which meant that I couldn't use the boat til about May or so. We were desperate to get out on the water and I very foolishly ended up running the engine for a couple of minutes without the water on. Out on the water the engine started making a pinking (?) noise, so I turned and headed for home but the temp started rising and as soon as I pulled the throttle back, the engine cut out and there was lots of smoke. We got a tow back to the marina. It was still full of oil, but I suspect I damaged the impeller or something else when dry running and hope I haven't cracked the block or something. I spent a long time trying to find a mechanic who would be allowed to work on the boat, but without the proper paperwork no one could. There is little support for i/o engines in Muscat, and absolutely none for Mercruiser. The marina workshop won't touch them. After a long time of me ignoring the issue, I confessed to my mate who said he would help where and when he could. Knowing that he is so busy means that I only feel I can 'pester' him when I really need to.

If I can't find a compatible starter, under a different brand, in Muscat I think I'll have to make the long drive to Dubai next weekend.

Thanks for the info about getting a marine (or marinised) starter. I have read here that non-marine starters are potentially lethal! When I can get in touch with my expert friend, I'll let you know if my starter is an 8" or 12", though I doubt if it's the original model. I'll try to attach a picture he sent me after he pulled it.



Thanks for the help!! :tea:

edit: I forgot to add that he has found it impossible to open up.

 

[commsbiff]

Hi Scott, thanks.

I live in Muscat, Oman, which is an awful lot of years behind the UAE (Dubai). A trip to Dubai is 5 hours each way, which I will do if I need to.

The bilge has been flooded in the past, which is when I had to get the starter repaired initally. It just doesn't seem to last though after it has been repaired. I hear you about the battery cables etc and we did this before pulling the starter.

Thanks for the tip about the Volvo Penta starter, I shall give the dealer a call!

 

[Bondo]

Hi Scott, thanks.

I live in Muscat, Oman, which is an awful lot of years behind the UAE (Dubai). A trip to Dubai is 5 hours each way, which I will do if I need to.

The bilge has been flooded in the past, which is when I had to get the starter repaired initally. It just doesn't seem to last though after it has been repaired. I hear you about the battery cables etc and we did this before pulling the starter.

Thanks for the tip about the Volvo Penta starter, I shall give the dealer a call!

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,.... Yer starter is the staggered bolt pattern SBC starter,....
Any of the staggered pattern SBC starters will work, Merc, Volvo, or whatever,....

I mention this, 'cause Volvo has been known to use the 12" flywheel, which uses the straight across bolt pattern, rather than the 14" flywheel, which requires the staggered pattern starter,....

 

[Scott Danforth]

if your motor is toast, we can help you find one, however it will be a lot cheaper to do the work yourself vs paying someone to do it. a boat is just a bunch of parts bolted together. if you understand how to use simple hand tools and can follow directions, the rest is easy.

yes, it looks like your starter has been submerged in salt water, which is why it is not surviving.

running the motor without water will destroy the impeller in seconds. your outdrive will need to come apart to change the raw water impeller.

regarding the motor, you will need to perform a compression test, as well as a leak down test. running it without coolant flowing will damage the motor.

 

[Lou C]

Yep that starter has been under water, it is very rusty. A Volvo Penta starter for a Chevy small block in the same model year range would be an exact replacement. It is nothing more than a GM stater with certain changes to make it safe for marine use. Those changes do not make it waterproof, however, lol
I had a cooling line pop off one year and fill the bilge with salt water and ruined a perfectly good Sierra starter that was about 2 seasons old. I had a spare marine starter that needed a new solenoid and I just replaced it with a Sierra solenoid and its still working fine.

 

[betayv]

that starter marine version is a part number 6562N, you can buy that online in a lot of places is brand new, and is make by World power systems.