Logo

1990 Mercruiser 30 hard starting

bullet

New member
"In August I replaced the slav

"In August I replaced the slave solinoid, starter and battery. Took out once and ran well. Next time out after using for an hour I shut it off, upon trying to start it again it acted like the battery was going dead and wouldn't start. Brought it home and forgot about it. With a fully charged battery or with jumper cables to my truck, the engine cranks real slow like the battery needs a charge. I even used the jumper cables from ground on the battery to engine ground and plus on the battery to the starter. No change. It seems like something is binding or the starter is to small but it is the correct starter. I may just winterize and forget until next season as it's gettin cold in CT. The oil is okay as the symptoms happened when the boat was hot. Thanks for any input."
 
"Check all ground and battery

"Check all ground and battery cables. Make sure the starter is tight. If it were mine, I would try to find out now. If it is a bad head gasket it may be scrap by spring, if it's not already. Try spinning the motor by hand."
 
"As I mentioned the battery is

"As I mentioned the battery is new, all connections clean and tight. How much resistance to turn the motor by hand? How can I tell if it's a bad head gasket?"
 
"..."As I mentioned the ba

"..."As I mentioned the battery is new"

Doh! Missed that. With the plugs out, the motor should spin easily. A compression test is a good way to see if the head gasket is blown.

JEff"
 
"Michael:

Jeff has made a


"Michael:

Jeff has made a valid point based upon experience; "replace the battery". New means little with batteries today. What is the date code on the battery? It may be NEW but old per mfg. date. Batteries breakdown sitting on the shelf.

I have had a NEW (less than 1 yr old) battery that could barely crank the engine for 2 seconds and would not crank at all when using a jumper from a known good battery. Why? The NEW battery developed an internal short between cells from sitting on the shelf too long and would not allow current to the starter from the jumper.

Swap batteries from your vehicle and try starting the engine. If the same problem exits, test the amperage draw on the starter against the specs for it. You may have a dead battery and defective starter together.

How old are your battery cables? Did you clean the block ground connection? Test for voltage drop using a digital voltmeter; measure the voltage at the fully charged battery POST (not the cable ends)and again at the starter POST. If there is a difference of more than a .2 to .4 voltage drop, the cables have corroded internally and increased in resistance which can cause a current loss to the starter. You may have three problems. Test, test and re-test.
Guy"
 
"Is it just me, or have these

"Is it just me, or have these fancy new "maintenace free" batteries become tricky little monsters at times?

I can recall getting stuck one night, watching fireworks with the kids, that ended up with a dead battery. My buddy gave us a jump--more like light tap with the jumper cables--and the "dead" battery came to life again! And I've seen this happen many times since.

Wierd.

Jeff"
 
"Problem solved. Took off the

"Problem solved. Took off the new starter and hooked it up direct to the battery. Still acting up. Upon closer inspection I noticed 2 of the 4 philips head screws that hold the pole shoes to the outer shell of the starter missing. Thus the armature was rubbing agaist the magnets causing the smoke and starter trouble. It looked like the screws were never installed at the factory as the paint was as smooth as can be. The starter had maybe 3 hours on it. I took it back to Petzolds in Portland CT and they promptly gave me another new one, no questions asked. A great place to do business."
 
Back
Top