Starter Motor Hit and Miss |
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kthackwray
Newbie Joined: January-30-2014 Location: South Africa Status: Offline Points: 24 |
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Posted: September-30-2014 at 10:50am |
Hi There
I have been rebuilding an 81 SN with 351 reverse rotation The motor was completely rebuild and when we go t to starting it , the starter would not work. So - after much pain and suffering (and cost appx $200 - apparently rewiring a reverse rotation starter had to be done manually or something - probably just an excuse to overcharge me ) the reverse rotation starter was rewound. And I could not source a replacement part in South Africa a rebuild was an obvious choice. So far so good - for good measure I stuck in a new Ford Solenoid too (as it would not engage every time on the bench - suspected the bench battery was a bit low or the solenoid was temperamental) Now it is all wired up and installed in the SN and the starter only engages the flywheel about 1 in 4 times - when it does not engage the starter motor still spins. Been trawling the posts and seem to find similar problem but not quite the same. From the PCM manual they list a possible worn starter motor gear may be the cause ?(the machining in the front causes the gear to engage correctly with the ring gear apparently ) From this forum it seems it may be the ring gear on the flywheel - but then I would expect it NEVER to engage when the motor is in a specific position ? - or is this a misconception ? Could it be a worn bendix ( I don't think the guys who rewound the starter did anything to the mechanicals of the starter ? I REALLY don't want to remove the engine again :) Any suggestions on a process of elimination - would pictures of the starter gear or possibly the ring gear help ?(not sure if I can get in there with a camera ) Any help would be greatly appreciated |
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TRBenj
Grand Poobah Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21171 |
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If it's a ring gear issue, then the problem would be consistent with engine position. If the starter engages 25% of the time for a given engine position, then the problem is likely starter related. Next time it fails to engage, pull the starter and look at the flywheel teeth where the starter engages... If they look good, bring the starter back in for attention. If the teeth look questionable, pull the transmission and replace the ring gear.
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kthackwray
Newbie Joined: January-30-2014 Location: South Africa Status: Offline Points: 24 |
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This was my logic too - thanks
Assuming it is the starter then I am just not sure what to do with the starter when it is off ? Can I replace just the gear ? what should I look for ? Maybe adjustment or replace the bendix (just guessing here ) ? |
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TRIP
Gold Member Joined: December-08-2007 Location: Costa Rica Status: Offline Points: 629 |
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Hope y'all don't mind me crashing into this thread...
Same issue here, I believe. Sometimes it takes me 20 times to start, today only 3. Starter motor spins, and so eventually starts. Having the starter being checked as we speak(/write). Pulling transmission and replacing flywheel or "ring gear" (n00b writing here); how costly/much work/difficult is that? All automotive stuff or anything marine-specific in there? All info welcome! Thanks! |
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phatsat67
Grand Poobah Joined: March-13-2006 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 6157 |
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If it is the original starter it's likely the armature is worn. They no longer make that replacement parts so it may be a possible cause of the issue.
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mamigacz
Groupie Joined: June-08-2014 Location: Wisconsin Status: Offline Points: 96 |
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There are two different starters housings that will bolt up to the 351W. One is designed to work with a 164 tooth flywheel and the other is for a 157 tooth flywheel. Most (maybe all) inboard ski boats with a 351W have a 157 tooth flywheel.
When I bought one of my boats (with standard rotation), it had a starter engagement issue. After some investigation, I found that the previous owner threw on a starter designed for a 164 tooth flywheel. It was never fully engaging the teeth on the flywheel. It worth checking. |
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TRIP
Gold Member Joined: December-08-2007 Location: Costa Rica Status: Offline Points: 629 |
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Thanks fellows!
I saw that the teeth on the flywheel are a little bit worn, but didn't know if it was bad enough to cause the issue. Apparently not, cause it works perfectly again (for now..;) ). Related: can I get just the bendix somewhere, instead of a whole new starter? |
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kthackwray
Newbie Joined: January-30-2014 Location: South Africa Status: Offline Points: 24 |
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After another $100 mechanical rebuild I now have a working starter
A new trick I learned during installation was to loosen the starter bolts a little and turn it over a few times before tightening it up properly as it still missed a few times but far less than before after just bolting it in the first time So hopefully this weekend will see a much better test run of the SN |
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