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weak cranking and hot terminals???

D

dawgs

Regular Contributor
1986 evinrude 150. i have a fuklly charged battery. when i try to start it i get a very slow cranking and hot terminals. seems like the positive terminal is hotter but they are both hot. why?
 
How old is the battery? Check the battery's voltage (sometimes cells can short out); clean the terminals and cable connections (also measure the resistance of the cables with a VOM since resistance creates heat).
 
the battery is only 2 months old. it was fully charged and checked out by my mechanic. battery is good. i cleaned all the terminals. they were a little dirty. i put everything back real tight. now it doesnt seem like the terminals are getting as hot but i still have a weak crank. i dont have a meter to check the cables
 
Check the voltage at hot wire going into the start motor at cranking to see if you get 12v. Sounded like you have a short somewhere; either in the whole harness (including key ignition switch), starter solenoid or the starter motor is bad itself. Short or power has to jump a gap to connect somewhere.
 
If this mtr is used in salt water you could have some battery cables that are corroeded internally and you won't find it unless you cut a slit in them and check. They can look good externally but be "green" inside.
 
can i do this? hook my portable jumper directly to the solenoid and turn the key to see what kind of crank i get?
 
too hard for me to get the jumper cable on the positive on the solenoid and when i jump the starter i cannot get a tight enough bite on the terminal with the jumper clips.....im gonna try and replace the cables
 
A starter that is " kapuut "------shorted out internally will draw a high current which produces heat.------These starters are easy to take apart and inspect / test !!!----Very easy.
 
Since you replaced everything else the only thing left is to verify a good ground at the starter and try the jumper cables again. You may have a bad solenoid (contacts burn't inside). The jumper cables would verify this.
 
Since you replaced the cables it is time to re-visit all the connections to include where the starter mounts. The heat and slow speed are indicators of corrosion INSIDE the cables which happens anywhere inside a cable. Where did the "new cables" come from? Were they custom made or new to your motor and had been in your shop.

90% of the starter probles are all corrosion and connection related.
 
the cables are brand new custom made. its hard for me to get the jumper on the positive on the solenoid. so what do you recommend i do? if the solenoid is bad it would give a weak current to the starter? im lost here

what am i looking for if i take the starter apart?
 
Take both starters to a shop for testing.If you want to bypass the solenoid just take a 10Ga wire or larger,touch it to the battery in cable on the solenoid and then batt out to starter,that will bypass the solenoid.Or disconnect the solenoid from the in from the batt,and the out to started.Use jumper cables put the black on the batt.- then the red onthe batt + hook the batt - jumper to a good ground on the motor,then touch the red to the started in BOLT.It should crank then if not you have a starter thats bad.
 
i actually tried to bypass the solenoid. i went straight from the battery - to the ground on the block and from the battery + to the starter +. starter spun but didnt spin the flywheel
 
The gear spun but didnt rise to contact the flywheel? Either you have bad connections or a bad starter,Get the starter tested both of em.
 
Absolutely no need to be scared of one of those starters.-----------------Take out the 2 bolts . ----Take it apart and give it the visual / smell test. Find an OHMETER and ask how to use that for the testing.
 
Those " Bosch " starters are easily checked with an OHMETER !-------------been doing it for years and no hiccups whatsoever.---------Older units need a growler.
 
well i did take one apart. what a pain in the ass to get the brushes to stay in when putting it back together...theres gotta be a trick to that. anyway. i have some black dust come out and the brushes are a little worn. but how do i know if the starter is shot? once it was apart i still didnt know what to look for ...other than the brushes ...everything looked good
 
Use an OHMETER to go from where the brushes contact , then to the shaft . It should read infinity ( no movement if meter has a needle ).-------------As far as assembling is concerned a piece of sheet metal with a 3/8" wide slot about 1-1/2" deep holds the brushes in place while you drop the armature and housing down on it.
 
The starter is nothing more than a electromagnet each segment has to be in good shape to complete the magnets full turn,just take it in or as racerone says do a ohm check, if one segmant is not showing conductivity its bad.if you dont have a multimeter just take it in to a altenater,started shop and ask for a test,I never had a charge for a test
 
I guess the OMC service manual is wrong then. It shows them checking a "Bosch" type starter on a growler. The windings in the armature can be shorted and unless you have one heck of a fancy ohmmeter, with out a growler you won't find it.
 
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