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Starter motor woes

wynjim55

wynjim55

Regular Contributor
Today my outboard started nicely and ran flawlessly all afternoon. However, on subsequent starting a few times, on first hit of the key it would only turn over very slowly. Not wanting to drain the battery too much I would stop cranking the motor before giving it another try. On the second of third hit the starter would turn over normally (much faster) and fire up the outboard easily. And at other times it would behave perfectly on the first hit. What would be causing this selective starting? I was thinking it may be something at the brushes/commutator end of things. Maybe I just have a wife type starter motor.
 
I'll bet you have those wingnuts holding your battery terminals on, right? (WAY too many people use them.) Though convenient, they are a constant source of battery woes in a boat and should be replaced with a normal nut that can be tightened and STAYS that way.

You have a bad connection, probably at the battery.

Jeff
 
Both ends of the leads have ordinary nuts that require tightening with tools, and I always put my battery on charge the day before going out which so far requires me to remove and re-install the battery. I definately connected them up tight before going out today, the starter motor end are the same but I made sure I did them up tight before re-installing that. How about old leads? Could that be an issue (corroded inside the insulation perhaps)?
 
What would be causing this selective starting?
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What happens when you short the solenoid studs together? If it spins quickley then I suspect the contact points inside are burnt to a crisp from high current.
 
I really hope you aren't onto something there, I've had two solenoids in 12 months. The first one replaced an original unit which wasn't working when I got the boat (1978 Mariner 55 - I figured it's life expectancy had passed), and was fitted by an auto elec who didn't think to seal it properly to keep out water. Naturally it corroded in no time flat. The second unit I fitted myself and sealed with marine sealer before spray painting the whole thing terminals and all. Could it be that my old wiring is causing the internal solenoid terminals to arc and burn out (high resistance causing low amps for same voltage)? I'm thinking I'll replace the battery leads and see what results I get from there. The leads have also passed their life expectancy so replacing them will not be a loss, if I still need to replace the solenoid at least I'll know it's not a problem further along :)
 
Replacing old wiring can't hurt it. Make sure that all connections +/- are clean and solid. I don't coat them anymore w/paint, etc. I use battery terminal protective spray applied spring and fall...only takes a few seconds. By using the spray I can see if corrosion starts. The product works great on all of my toy's batteries. I also make my own battery cables using welding cable for the batteries because it carries more current w/more strands of copper wire. I use copper lugs and solder the ends into the lugs w/a map gas torch. Just tin the wire ends and fill the lugs 1/2 way w solder heating it untill it is molten and insert the wire end into it...use a pliers to hold the wire steady untill it cools. I then shrink wrap the lugs to seal them from corrosion.
 
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