starter problem
 

Can anyone help i keep going through starters. I put a new one in and it lasts about 2 weeks, then sounds like its is grindind. I tried to shim one then cranked it with the coil wire off sounds fine. i use it a few times then it starts to go again. Engine is 540 dart block.

Are you buying new starters from Mercruiser?

no i am buying arco marine starters, from a local supplier.Its a high torque starter.

having the same problem on my 489ci motor, burnt up a stock one in about five starts, bought an arco it has lasted a month but is about gone now.

do you think we have a ground problem? Should i run another ground from battery to starter bolt?

That will not make any difference. If you have a bad connection in my experience it will not work or just click. Run compression ratio are you using? Personally if it was me, I would spend the extra money and get a good starter from Mercruiser. I currently have a 496 with 9.5 compression and use the stock Mercruiser starter. It starts the first turn of the key every time.

When I was younger I would pay to have them rebuild. The last rebuild starter I used about caused me to spend a cold night on the river at the end of October because there where no boats out to tow me in!

You get what you pay for:rolleyes:

The compression is 9.5, when i put a new starter in the engine lights off in the fisrt push of the button. Can a starter burn up that fast after a few usages?

My theory for a bad ground is that the bendix is acting like the ground and the spring is getting weak from getting to hot,thats why a new starter works in the beginning.Is that possible?

have you had a starter look at one of the old starters from a tear down diagnostic veiw

was advised by my engine builder to run another ground to the block off of the starter bolt, dont know if it will save this starter but he swears it is a ground problem.

Starter
 

Make sure you are using a starter that is made for the number of teeth on your flywheel. They make two different flywheels.The same starter will work on both but not for long. Check the tooth number and make sure you have the starter to match.I have been down this road. Just my 2 cents JOHN

hey ant...
are you using a starting battery with enough cca? merc does not recommend deep cycles for the task. i'd even steer clear of dual purpose...try something in the 800 cca range (it will carry an even higher mca rating. it could be like any other electric device...too little juice screws things up...
just a thought...
c

When you say the starter is going bad ? Is it destroying the teeth in The bendix or is the starter motor going bad? If its tearing up the gear it could be an alignment problem or a Voltage problem .... you need to check the Voltage AT the starter when you crank it over .... I think it needs to be 9.7 volts ... I can check tomorrow ....

Its either alignment ....Voltage at the starter ( a bad Connection or cable) .... also I have seen the starter grind when the bolts get loose... you sure they are the right length bolts? ........ Check the Flywheel teeth also as FenderJack stated .... m

Thats what my friend Rich Zul thinks its a grounding problem, im gonna try to add another ground to the starter mount bolt.

the teeth on the starter look fine, its just strange how a new starter works fine for a little then starts to grind,if i am loosing ground will the bendix kick back and make it grind under a load?

Thanks John,I guess its gonna be a pain in the ass to check the # of teeth on the flywheel in the boat, do you know the diff. between the two starters?

You need to monitor voltage and ground at the starter when its cranking the engine. If the engine is advanced a little it will fire against the starter, pulling more current and dropping voltage, as voltage drops the solenoid backs off and the drive gear disengages, spins up, re-engages, repeat, all in seconds.

I was eating starters in my 540's and I solved it by going with Hitachi's, there almost double the torge and dont use the nylon gears inside, also their not that much more than merc's. The only problem is that their a straight bolt pattern, not offset like the merc's, my block is drilled for both,Powermaster makes a offset pattern that is close to the hitachis in torque..http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...0002&langId=-1

I did not see any marine starters under that link?

Or should I say Coast Guard Approved.

their not ! grap a can of paint and some stainless nuts and their marinized.. but what would you rather do, keep replacing or be done with it..the starboard motor on my cat you have too pull the motor to change it,so I got sick of it real fast.. on the stocker's all you have to do is hang a start one time or a backfire and their toast..
heres a link to the discussion on this before. http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=189243

It really sounds like a bad connection.... I checked and you need at least 10v AT the starter under load ...that is at the big cable AT the starter ....you need at least 9 volts at the Solenoid... Also on the Ring gear ....if you have a bad spot the starter would work fine until the Flywheel stopped with the bad section of flywheel and starter aligned .....m

I have had EXCELLENT results with these starters ....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-M...mZ110297188511

That is exactly what I use also. But I have never seen one that cheap. Even with my discount my cost is around $225.

If you think its voltage,I can tell you that on my twin sea ray,i have port on a interstate 24m-xhd 800cca 1000ca. star. mtr. 2 battery's srm24 550cca 690mca. port mtr. cranks much faster. tried this two years ago, would not have believed it if not for seeing myself. When my star. battery's go bad they will be replaced with 24m-xhd's.(probably next spring)

i have no alignment or grinding issues just keeps burning up the starter motor, and i am 10-1 compression, i was afraid of running a regular hi torque starter not being cg approved, but my arco just gave up the ghost.

I think its a gound issue ,i run 12-1 compresion with a stock chevy bellhousing mounted starter and it ran for half the season , just burned it up because the crankshaft broke.

Sulfated battery will cause the same symtoms. Have you tried different batteries?

well guys i figured out the proplem,it was the starter bolts all along. The starter was moving and binding.replaced the bolts with gm bolts now its perfect.Thanks for all the imput. Will be at the conn. river run!

hmmmmmmmm :ernaehrung004:


feels good to find the problem!!!!

And to think , for a measly 180 bucks you could have bought a merc starter that comes with new bolts in the box.