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Getting Merc 200 running. Slow starting

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baysidejim

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Hello. New guy here and I hope I can share help and get a little (help). I have a 1985 200 Merc v6. Ran great 2 years ago. Took it off an old day cruiser and installed it on 24' Skipjack. So far, I've installed a new starter, solenoid, and battery. It's really laboring when I turn it over. I take the plugs out and it spins like (I think) it should. Put the plugs back in and it barely turns over. This is with jumper cables connected directly from battery to starter, not through the ignition electrical system on the boat. I also connected jumper cables from the battery in my running truck to the starter on the outboard. Still very slow to spin. Any help or suggestions are GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.
 
Starter brushes may be worn. They are not hard to replace. You need to check the armature for shorted/open coils w/an ohmmeter and undercut and clean the armature where the brushes ride. Since it may be 28 yrs. old take it to a starter shop and let them go thru it and refurbish it for you.
 
The man says that he installed a new starter !-----So pull the lower unit off and then see if it will crank over properly.-------These starters can not tolerate a lot of cranking.-----There are also a couple of different starters but they all look the same and a parts clerk can even be confused.
 
First off, thank you for your posts. Yes the starter is new and the part number matches the original starter. When I take the spark plugs out, I can spin the motor very easily by turning the fly wheel by hand. Is this an indication that it's cranking over properly or should I still remove the lower unit? The issue is when the spark plugs are in, it turns over very slowly, not fast enough to start.
 
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It is the wrong starter or there is something wrong with the starter.-------------Check the parts book for the correct starter.
 
The man says that he installed a new starter !-----
Click to expand...
Well, poopy on me...been a long day, couldn't talk a 10 pt. buck w/in bow range!!!!. Agree...may be defective "new" starter. What gauge wire were the jumper cables? Cheap type will only be 10 ga. wire...not suitable to jump anything but a lawn tractor.
 
Guy said it the cables are to light to us as a jumper.
They are good for charging or boosting.
Not a direct hookup.
It sounds like the motor has low comprssion.
Hookup the right cables and try again.
Do a compresson test after the new cables.
 
Thanks I didn't know that about the jumper cables. I'll hook it up to battery cables and try it. I think if it had LOW compression it would be easier to turn over, not harder, right? But like I said, I'm new and that's why I'm asking for help here. All holes are all between 123# and 126#. Also, does anyone know what the difference is between a 200 and a 200 Black Max?
 
Thanks everyone. I got the #1 battery cables and it fired right up. I put a new impellor in it and now I have overheating issues. I'll start a new thread I guess.
 
When does it overheat? If the impeller is installed correctly and it is shooting water out of the telltale...pull the hose off the nipple and water should shoot out of it...then I would look at them. You can check the overheat switch w/a thermal laser temp gun...not expensive. Just point the laser where the switch is located in the head and read the temp. If you have never replaced the t'stats and popit valve(s) then it's something to investigate.
 
Was it overheating before the new impeller?
You replace the whole pump or just the impeller?
What condition was he wear plate and housing?
You sure it was put back together right.
Like Guy suggested heck the poppit valve and all the stuff in there?
Thermostats too
 
The motor is running great. There is lots of water shooting out of the fitting on top of the block (that should be run to the water pressure gauge) but no water shooting out of the telltale unless I increase the rpm's. I wane to change out the thermostat and popit valve but (embarrassingly) cannot locate them on the motor or in the SELC manual. Thanks for any help.
 
If water is shooting out where the pressure guage should be, then surely you should block that hole off? Then water will build up pressure to come out of the tell tale hole. At the moment the pressure will push it out that top hole and create a low pressure point at the tell tale.
 
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