43L Starter solenoid Wonbt come off

"I have a '92 4.3L Merc th

"I have a '92 4.3L Merc that I have had starting problems on the water, but not during storage during the winter. I wanted to replace the starter solenoid, so I removed the starter, but the solenoid is held by a case that appears to be molded into the starter. I can not find any screws, bolts etc to remove the soleniod. All I can see are some dimples in the mounting bracket that appear to hold it on. Any thoughts."

"Frank:

Before disassembl

"Frank:

Before disassembling the solenoid, did you test it with jumpers to see if it freely engages and/or disengages? Spray a little WD-40 on the drive gear and shaft to lossen any gummed up grease; wipe it clean. The drive gear should jump forward and drop back quickly when the solenoid is energized. If it works, put a dab of 2-4-C lube on the shaft and reinstall unless you are going to service the brushes and bushings. Follow the service manual directions for this work.

CAREFUL SPINNING THE STARTER--LOTS OF CURRENT AND POSSIBLE SPARKS THERE TO EXPLODE A BATTERY OR WELD A TOOL!! KEEP THE BATTERY SOURCE WELL AWAY FROM THE STARTER AND MAKE YOUR LAST JUMPER CONNECTION TO THE STARTER CASE GROUND.

To remove the solenoid, try taking off all the nuts from the electrical studs and and field straps. Then see if the solenoid can will pull off. Not sure, but it seems the only way it could be connected or removed.

Guy"

"Ayuh,.....

Nowadays,.. The

"Ayuh,.....

Nowadays,.. The Solenoid is replaced WITH the Starter......

If you're Already up against a Wall trying to fix it,....
You're In Over your Head..... It gets Much More Complicated......"

"Bondo: good point!

I re

"Bondo: good point!

I removed my starter for inspection yesterday and now see what you are talking about concerning the difficulty of replacing just the solenoid. After removal of the old one, I opted for replacement due to age, worn drive gear, heavily corroded field pole connectors and a ton of silicone at every joint, especialy the field coil straps--rubber gromment was not there. I prefer to replace before it quits on the lake during the storm of the century.

I bought a reman. starter directly from the shop that does the work, J&N Auto in Cinn., OH. I was able to talk with the technician about the reman. procedure which convinced me to select the reman. DELCO starter over a new one made in "I don't know where" for the quality and small price difference.

Guy"

"Ayuh,........

I'm a Be

"Ayuh,........

I'm a Believer in the newer Geardrive Hi-powered Starters,....
I think they're known as a Tilton Style,.....
Just by the nature of it's Design, It's Spark-Proof,..... Same as the C/G requirements call for.....
There's a Transmission instead of a little Plate between the Sparks,+ the Bilge fumes....

Not to be confused with the little Permanant-Magnet motored 1s,... Which Aren't Sealed in the same ways......."