Starter bolt just spins and won't tighten all the way - Mercruiser 3.0LX

[kkuhia]

Hi All! It's been about 8 years since I've been on the forums. I never quite got the last boat on the water, but I bought a different Bayliner last summer (only had 100 hrs on it) and it has run great until a couple weeks ago when my negative battery terminal melted and the boat died in the middle of Lake Washington. I got the boat towed and home, replaced the battery, but got the infamous click when I tried to start it. I followed Don S's sticky thread as well as the procedures in my manual (measuring voltage drops throughout the circuit etc) to determine that the problem was either the starter or starter solenoid.

Therefore, I pulled the starter and purchased a new Delco-Remy starter that matched my starter's part #. When I go to install the new starter, the shorter bolt goes in and tightens just fine. However, the long bolt seemed to be going in fine, but I can't seem to get it to tighten all the way down fully. It will just spin when I turn it with the socket wrench. I'm using the same starter bolts as before (the new starter did not come with new bolts), so I would think they would screw in fine. I didn't see any metal strips on the threads when I took the bolts out originally, so I don't think the holes in the block are stripped.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get the long bolt to tighten fully? Why would the bolt just spin like that if it is the same bolt that I just removed from that hole before I got the new starter?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Engine: 1995 Mercruiser 3.0 LX Serial # 0F359511
Original Starter: Delco-Remy PG-260 (Numbers on the starter: 9000820 28D94 SAE J1171 Marine)
New Starter: Delco-Remy PG-260 Part # 8000193 SAE J1171 Marine

- Kekoa
1995 Bayliner Capri 1850 Bowrider
Mercruiser 3.0LX / Alpha One Gen II

 

[84EdH]

duplicate post.

 

[84EdH]

Seems there is only two possibilities: one, the bolt or threads in the block are stripped, or the new starter has a different bolt hole length before it reaches the threads in the block. take the starter off, thread the long bolt into the block and prove to yourself it tightens, then measure the bolt hole depth in the starter and see how that matches up with the length of the bolt.

 

[bruceb58]

It's also a possibility the block cracked where the starter bolts thread into it. Was there a support bracket supporting the front of the starter?

 

[kkuhia]

Thanks for the replies!

84EdH: Thanks for the suggestions. I'm back home today and will remove the starter and try what you suggest to see if there are any signs of stripping and test the length of the bolt versus the hole + new start frame width. I'll post what I find out later today.

bruceb58: I sure hope the block didn't crack as that sounds like it wouldn't be a good scenario. As far as if there is a support bracket supporting the front of the starter, I don't think there is. The only thing that secures the starter to the engine are those two bolts at the back of the starter (near where it engages with the flywheel). There is a shorter bolt on the back left side of the starter (and that bolt seems to tighten as it should) and there is a longer bolt on the back right side of the starter which is the one having the issue of not tightening down fully. I'll try and post a picture if what I try today doesn't fix the bolt prob. Thanks!

- Kekoa
1995 Bayliner Capri 1850 Bowrider
Mercruiser 3.0LX / Alpha One Gen II

 

[Lager]

The threads are pulled out and were probably gone before you got the boat.
I wouldnt touch anything any more, the more you mess with the loose bolt, then less its gonna support any load put on it.
If the starter held in there ok with just the one bolt holding it, it will continue to do so with the new starter.
To really fix it, your going to have to remove the engine and install a thread repair kit of some sort.
I wouldnt bother as long as the engine starts ok with just the one bolt.

 

[MikDee]

I would say if the original bolt does not "bottom out" in the hole, then get the exact same bolt, (but a little longer), and a few washers, or spacers, and snug the longer bolt up in the hole (till it bottoms out), then take a measurement of the distance from the block, to the head of the new bolt, and measure your starter, and add washers to make up the difference in length. Then take out the new bolt, & put your starter in with the other bolt to hold it, then put the new bolt in with the proper spacers on it, and snug it good (or just use a lock washer on the new bolt at the bottom).

That is, if the thread in the block still has some good threads deep inside it to grab. If all else didn't work, I'd get a stud, nut, & washer, that is a bit longer to go thru the starter, then mix some J&B weld with metal dust, & test to see if you have enough room to slide the starter over the long stud, IF SO, then thread the stud in, let it dry, and put the nut, & washer on. Just snugging it when dry.

With both of these scenarios, the shorter good bolt will still be the main bolt holding it all together. Or, you can drill out the hole, and put a heli-coil in it!

 

[kkuhia]

Thanks everyone for all of the suggestions! I wanted to update you all on where I am on it. I was going to try what 84EdH suggested by pulling the starter and checking the bolt. However, I put the long bolt in again and slowly tightened it in and it actually seemed to grab and tighten down fairly snug. I didn't crank on it for fear that I might get into the same issue as before, but it does feel tight now.

So for now, I'm going to go with it the way it is and just check the long bolts tightness after every other day out on the lake to see if it feels as tight or if it has started to loosen up with the vibrations and pounding from the waves etc.

My only challenge now is that the valve cover gasket was leaking oil and so I replaced that as well, but now the new one is leaking even more than the old one was. I don't think I tightened to bolts all the way down to the 40 lbs/in with my torque wrench as it felt like they were being put in too tight. However, since it is leaking at multiple spots around the valve cover, I'm thinking they need to be tighter. A topic for another thread most likely.

Thanks again everyone for the help on the starter bolt issue!

- Kekoa
1995 Bayliner Capri 1850 Bowrider
Mercruiser 3.0LX / Alpha One Gen II