just purchased boat and starter is very slow

[386kustoms]

first off let me just say this site rocks. i purchased my first boat about a month ago and on these forums i have learned a lot. now i bought a 62 aristocraft w the original evinrude 75 outboard. the boat is definitly a project and no one around here will work on the old evnrudes... trust me i called at least 8 different places. now the solenoid was not working so i purchased a new one on line. installed it and the engine cranks fine with the key with no plugs in it. i checked for spark and all that jazz and everything seemed ok. so i re installed the plugs and when i crank the engine it turns very very slow. yes i have a batter charger hooked up to the battery as well set on 12v high.

i noticed when cranking only about 9.5 volts are getting to the starter, followed the wire down to the solenoid and while i crank 12 volts are getting to the solenoid but only 9.5 are leaving it going to the starter. is that normal? i thought the starters got 12v to it while cranking. could the solenoid be bad that i just purchased? any way to test?

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: just purchased boat and starter is very slow

you are on the right track. start by removing the lead between the solinoid/starter, solinoid and battery and make it shinny then remove the ground from the motor and polish that till its clean then test again.

the start does get 12v but a dirty connection causes a voltage drop. a good starter should not be able to drop below 10.5 volts when cranking.

 

[papachaz]

Re: just purchased boat and starter is very slow

in addition to what glenn said, make sure the ground wire is good and clean and connected tightly as well. It's amazing what electrical problems turn out to be just not grounded right.

One other thing, did you spray anything into the cylinders when you had the plugs out? fog them good with some deep creep or something similar to get some lubrication on the walls. NOT starting fluid, some of your gas/oil mix in a spray bottle lightly sprayed will work also

 

[JDusza]

Re: just purchased boat and starter is very slow

Couple things to note though the discussion, not to be lost.

DO lubricate the cylinders before you do any cranking. DO NOT spin them dry. +1 papachaz

The new solenoid IS WORKING. According to the notes, the engine spins fine without plugs. The solenoid is switching the 12v to the starter. +1 386kustoms

Scour all electrical connections through the starter/batter circuit loop, every connection. Evaluate your cables for internal corrosion and just good condition. Swollen jacketing indicates corrosion inside the jacketing boosting resistance, at best, breaking the connection, at worst. Don't try to skimp on the cabling. If it's humble, replace it. You need reliability here. +1 everybody

If the starter is easy to get out, take it out and go over it. Hot wire it on the bench. The bendix should engage with a good crisp snap. Clean it up and lube it up. Not sure where it's been during its campaign, but, if the cleaning of cabling doesn't get you all the way, for its age, you may consider rebuilding the starter; new brushes, new bushings, spring, good internal cleaning....
Just my two cents.
Cheers!
J

 

[milliesdad]

Re: just purchased boat and starter is very slow

Check the spark with a spark tester. Forget what the gap should be, but it should have a blue-white snap.

If it has gas, spark and compression, it has to run.