starter not engaging

[pwmitchell]

Hi-
I've got a 40 horse merc from the early 1990's. She runs like a champ and is very reliable. I just attempted to start it up after replacing the impeller. I wanted to make sure it was cycling properly. I had to pull start because the starter wasn't engaging the flywheel. It spins just fine, but doesn't rise to hit the flywheel. I hit the bendix with some WD40 and moved it around a bit and it still didn't improve. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

 

[JB]

Re: starter not engaging

You might have corrosion in the starter high current circuit, PWM. Remove and clean all connections of big cables from the battery to the engine.

Good luck.

 

[pwmitchell]

Re: starter not engaging

Thanks for that. I'll give it a shot this evening.