2006 Honda 150 Starter

My 150 starter is not working. It makes a low growling, somewhat quiet noise, I dont believe that the unit is engaging the flywheel at all. Motor has 3-400 hours, starting battery is fully charged.

Wondering if anyone has run across this condition, starters are about $150 to $175, from my manual it seems like I can r/r this starter unit at my slip/ in the water.
Maybe I'll just gamble and do this.

Anybody ever has this problem and what did you do ?

Thx
Jimmy
Lopez Island,Wa
89 Seasport conversion to outboard (I did it)

I wouldn't think of replacing the starter before cleaning all associated electrical connections to it including the the positive and negative battery terminals.
Also, follow that negative battery cable from the battery and find where it attaches to the engine. Take that off and clean the cable end and where it contacts the block.
Because, this sounds more like a poor connection than a bad starter from here.
If you don't do some electrical "basics" there's at least a 50/50 chance of you buying a new starter only to find that it's doing the same thing as the old one.
Good luck.

Agree with Jimmy , a lot more to checking than just the battery. Hook up a standard test light between the positive post on the starter solenoid and s good ground. Make sure it doesn't dim at all when trying to start the engine, if it does, then your problem is not the starter.

So I pulled the starter before I read the 2 responses that came in. The starter appears to be full of sand and the open cavity below the starter has a lot of a sand type substance in it. It is dry, does not taste salty (2006 motor is new to me, 350 freshwater hours- now living in the PNW in salt at moorage. Oil appears to be good, new change this year with only 10 hours of use. the pee hole has been working fine but I am not sure of the gear case oil).

Hope I have not ruined this motor----.
I have not run up on a sand bar, for a few times I launched the boat but dont think I was ever touching sandy bottom at the ramp.

I got the boat back to my shop with my 15hp kicker (via boat lift at IMC- Lopez to trailer). Small island). Fair amount of sand, clumped up around the flywheel and the starter was full of it also. Water pump must have sucked it up thru the leg at a ramp at low tide when I first launched it, and then thru a seal that was dried out. Water intrusion seems to be the only way this can happen although all of the off island Honda shops have no experience with the problem, no advice of how to repair, but they know it will cost 5-6K somehow. This season has come to an end for me, and seems like the only option is for me is to go to Seattle and find a Honda mechanic who at least has heard of the problem.
Really liked the 150 for the few hours I put on it. Took me 2 1/2 years (off and on) to do the I/O to Outboard conversion, if I can do it for 2K in parts, then I will go ahead.

Thx for help, chime in if you like--
Very few salmon up here in the Salish Sea, very few Orcas also.
But a lot of islands and usually very calm seas

5k sounds ridiculous, you can get an aftermarket starter for about 400 and labour, seals and gaskets to clean out the flywheel housing and lower crank seal replacement around 1500, so should cost around 2000, add 1000 if you use a genuine starter motor.

So I'm going off island with pics of the sand around the flywheel and see if I cant sneak past the salesmen and actually talk to a mechanic(s) back in the shop of a couple of Honda Outboard dealers. Since all larger Honda's (150 and bigger) have the fly below the powerhead there is a seal or seals that prevent water and/or oil intrusion to the powerhead. I read my Seloc and it gives no impression of how sand can get up to the fly. Some talented mechanic should have seen this before and will nod his head and say "yep, you need a new seal".
Then I will take it all apart and do it.
You are the only contributor on this site that has mentioned a seal and gaskets, there must be one or two there---
Thx for your input, I'm now trying to figure out how to download pics from a ******* phone on a Chromebook of fly and sand to show folks.
Life is full of issues and then you die---