Starter Shaft Stuck?

[jpbrake]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

Mine has always been a salt water engine.

The starter is now in the re-build shop trying to be salvaged. The interior wasw clean. The shaft was corroded to the gear. Couldn't budge it or knock it loose while it was out of the starter housing.

Thanks for all the advise.

What could I do to prevent this type of corrosion in the future? WD40 occationally on the gears? The engine is a 2002 Johnson 50 HP and the engine cover seals as well as could be expected. No apparent salt seepage inside the engine cover.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

WD40 is not the best but better than nothing. A very light machine oil (no grease) and periodically rotating the bendix up the shaft and cleaning and lub of the shaft grooves is all that's necessary. It's the salt air that gets to metal parts. Use of grease of any kind eventually hardens and gets sticky. Clean and light lub is all that's necessary.

 

[Lakester]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

jp sed: "Does the starter shaft that engages the flywheel move freely up and down?"

well, jp as much as i hate to admit it... mine does!!!

about 3/32nds of an inch. still working fine, but i can lift it up n down some... so

no doubt will be pulling it apart soon for some service and a 'look-see' on that!

but the tips on corrosion reflect true. if i may add a suggestion. get urself an oe service manual if u dont have it. i read mine daily. all the time, not just when working on the engine. the info there is abundant. tons of details. a complete section on how to tear down the starter, what to look for and how to service and put together. so complete and helpful a novice could even change out the commutator brushes and reinstall with no help. they tell u how to set the brushes to slide commutator tween them.

if ur engine was mine, i would put a sheet under the flywheel to contain grit etc. then i would take some laquer thinner and clean each side of every tooth on flywheel. then when squeaky clean of grit, grease, corrosion, i would take some 600 emory and lightly dress each tooth, front and back. a dremel wire wheel would work well, too. then vac teeth, the air blow, then more laquer thinner to teeth [Q-tip works well] and then a light coat of 30 wt engine oil to all teeth... and do same to bendix gear's teeth.

but u prob need to service entire starter at this time...

read ur last post: OIC!

what to do? as is constantly mentioned here on iboats... Preventative Maintenance is the key! the problem sometime is: when overall maintenace is low, then a problem can develop that an expd enthusiast or mechanic type can fix... however, due to warranties and cost, it isnt feasible for a shop to do it. they just replace it.

short of total destruction, shorted commutator, etc just about any starter can be fixed. even shorted fields can be replaced.

good luck.


regards,

lakster

 

[burroak]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

Do not use WD-40 or any spray lubricant on the Bendix. The wide faced nut that screws onto the armature and the mating surface of the gear assembly must be clean, dry and free of oil. I doubt if this is your problem , but just a cautionary tale for those who subscribe to the 'if a little is good, a lot is better' rule. Disassemble the Bendix portion of the starter, clean the parts thoroughly and reassemble. When you know that those parts are moving freely, check the connections and use a verified fully charged battery. When those conditions are met, the starter should function. If not, take the starter into a parts store. They will check it free of charge.

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

Here in the midwest where boating season goes into the colder months, any form of grease or oil causes problems real quick, I use lock-ease for places like that. The graphite left behind is a great lube without any of the problems of oils.

 

[Lakester]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

hello,

when it comes to starters and solenoids, i like to use combo of both oil, grease and a spot of anti-seize on all metal to metal rubbing, rotating, or sliding parts or devices. i am not in a cold N climate.

i like the oil for its lubricity, i like the grease for its load carrying capacity and i like the anti-seize for protection against metal to metal rubbing/friction.

my starters do not drag! they work well and for a long-time. and they crank like a diesel locomotive. quieter, too. i think the anit-seize matters.

when i service my starter, i will pull the armature out of case, and remove the commutator. clean and inspect, ck brushes... look for sharp edges that can be "deburred, dressed and/or borken". and then reassemble using the above plan. i will also put a "usmc military rifle inspection level of light oil coating", augmented with a tiny dop of anti-seize. on the teeth of bendix and flywheel ring gear. and then inspect frequently to be sure none is being thrown off. all accessable electrical contacts get dielectric grease, too.

as **** proenneke used to say; "good enuff for my needs!"

regards
lakester

 

[jpbrake]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

Thanks for all the help.

I got the starter back from the shop.

Total for a rebuild was $41.00.

The gears move freely up the shaft now.

You guys saved me a LOT of money.

To prevent this I understand I should operate the starter much more often while the boat isn't being used.

Thanks again!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

almost right, you should use the boat more often, that's better.

 

[Gunlakekid]

Re: Starter Shaft Stuck?

Thanks for all the posts on this forum. I have a 2004 Johnson and had a similar problem this morning. Because of the great information posted here, I was on the water by the early afternoon.

I agree, I need to use the boat more.