Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

[arrkerr]

I bought a brand new starter, branded WPS World Power Systems, model 2-1760-DR-2. It is supposed to be a delco 260, a drop-in for my 3.0L Mercuiser. It seemed to fit just fine, my old starter did not have any shims so I didn't use any on this one either. The boat started right up a few times in my driveway, no starter noise that I could hear. It started at the lake twice, once I drive it around for about 10 minutes after unloading and took it to the beach. Then I loaded it up with my in-laws, got across the lake to a sand bar, shut it down, and it wouldn't start back up. I shut it down because it was shallow, and I got some seaweed in the prop, and I could hear it struggling.

To make a long troubleshooting story short, when I got back home I removed the starter and here is what I found!

So my question is, what could cause this? Was this just a defective starter? I don't see how a miss-aligned starter could have caused this, unless the edge hit the flywheel, but it should have been far enough away. I don't see any gouges on the outside of the broken piece either. My guess is that the motor torqued hard and the shaft pushed the metal apart (the shaft end was in the piece that broke off).

So bottom line - do I buy ANOTHER new starter, or could something else be really wrong?

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

That aluminum casting may have already been cracked.

It also might have cranked an engine in it's past life that had a little hydrolock or a backfire episode......You said your engine had a little struggle, You may have a little hydrolock problem.
(Seaweed in the prop normally doesn't cause any struggling whilst cranking)

When was the last time you removed your riser/elbow and checked/replaced the gasket?

 

[JustJason]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

what's with the grinding on the starter... as seen best in the last pic up top? Did you do that? Also... looks like a cheap casting. Unless you dropped grease on it, it almost looks like slag in the aluminum. WPS... is this a china brand?

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

Look closely at the pressed-in bushing/bearing in the broken piece. Does it show signs of obvious wear? Slip the armature back into it and see how much play it has. This might be a poorly/cheaply rebuilt starter. As said, that grinding on the case isn't normal. I'd suggest you bring it back to the store where you bought it and demand a replacement. I's also check over the replacement carefully before you leave the store. Good luck. Hy

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

That grinding spot is indicative of a flywheel strike. Broken or loose flywheel perhaps, or else the starter mounting bolts weren't tight or the bolts you used were not the correct style of bolt (these are not standard garden variety bolts). Fact is the flywheel hit the housing. In the last picture, the pinion gear tooth at the 2 o'clock position is chipped indicating it was not meshing properly with the flywheel. The housing has been sand or bead blasted to clean it up and it is very likely a refurbished piece. You can visit any auto salvage yard in town and find a nose for the starter, or any starter/alternator rebuilder in town can fix you up. These shops are usually listed as Auto Electric in the yellow pages.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

Whew them some huge pics....but good detail..

what year is this motor? does it have the support bracket that helps support the back end of the starter? May have torqued and broke without the support bracket...

Def would take it back and demand a new one

 

[arrkerr]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

Great advice guys, thanks!

Sounds like a check of my fly weel is certainly in order as well. The starter bolts came with the starter, and looked like the old ones. Certainly a strange bolt, not a generic bolt. It has a support bracket, but it was loose... I don't know if I didn't tighten it all of the way, or if it got jarred loose. The stater bolts were still tight, so I don't think that was the issue.

The motor is either a '90 or '91. Boat is a '91, bought used. Still trying to determine if the motor was original or not.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

Great advice guys, thanks!

Sounds like a check of my fly weel is certainly in order as well. The starter bolts came with the starter, and looked like the old ones. Certainly a strange bolt, not a generic bolt. It has a support bracket, but it was loose... I don't know if I didn't tighten it all of the way, or if it got jarred loose. The stater bolts were still tight, so I don't think that was the issue.

The motor is either a '90 or '91. Boat is a '91, bought used. Still trying to determine if the motor was original or not.

Ah-haaaaaaaaa

No way that support bolt would have jarred loose unless it was loose to begin with..If I was a gambling man, I'd put 100 bucks on the support bolt, double down, let it ride, Cmon baby daddy needs a new bimini....

But I don't gamble much...lol

BTW..Welcome to the insanity known as boat ownership

 

[arrkerr]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

Wow, so just not having that support tight could cause the starter to hit the flywheel? I figured no way, since it is "optional" according the the manual.

Thanks!

 

[John_WhiteLighting]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

Hey Guys,

I have an '88 Volvo AQ 231 B, and I installed a MES 5401M Starter that looks just like the one above. Mine broke the same exact way but had no grind marks or gouges or other evidence of hitting the flywheel. I figured that it was a manufacturing defect so i took it back and swapped it out. No problem, until after about 7-10 starts later it broke again at the same place, the same way.

After reading this post i was going to try and find that support bracket, but don't see one. I do not know if i do have one, or if i have a totally different problem. It does not seem to need shims , and the bolts that came with the starter look like the originals and are tight.

Any help would be great. A new starter every 3-4 days is a little much...lol

 

[vxtech]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

same motor different application- when i see this happen in forklifts is almost always to tight to flywheel ,instead of starter releasing once started it cant get out flywheel quick enough and flywheel torque cracks of nose cone. it never happens to a old cruded up starter just the new ones and yes there are shims, this applies to 4.3 gm aswell.

 

[arrkerr]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

When I sat down and compared my original starter to the new one, I noticed a few differences in the cone. My original one was actually more cut out around where the flywheel would pass through. And that area that has the marks on the broken starter is a lot smaller on the original.

I ALSO had a bunch of water in my cylinders, which flew out when I put the new starter in. I'm wondering if, in my case, the strain of trying to crank four cylinders full of water could have caused the nose to crack. There are rubbings, but I don't see marks on the ouside of the cone indicating that the flywheel actually struck before it was already broken off.

 

[John_WhiteLighting]

Re: Broken (Cracked) Starter! Mercruiser 3.0

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to get back to everyone with a reply... I removed the MES starter, that was the after market, small, gear reduction starter that according to "the book" fit my engine... I put in a Delco starter, it was the big one that looked like the original GM starter... worked like a champ...

All in all i put in three new starters while trouble shooting and the Delco started strong and lasted all day... hope tomorrow will be the same... Thanks for your help....

~John