starter

[toolsinbox]

21 foot scarab 454

I finnaly got the boat totally rewired new dash all is well except.

When I bought the boat the machanic told me he didnt like the sound of the starter and this morning I cleaned up all the wires I installed and got them carefully wraped up and I fired the engine and it ran great. When my wife got home I wanted her to start it and the starter drive wont ingage. I guess that is what the guy was talking about. Any way the starter in it right now is a regular one and I was given a marine starter with the sale. My question is I want to change it out and wanted to know what I am in for. I asked the guy when I was picking up the boat about changing it and he told me to use the shim that is currently there and go for it. He would have changed it for me but warned me the storage coolent would leak out and it was still very cold and would be a risk. So I told him I would cross that bridge on my own. well here I am. I am sure it is a great upgrade to have the correct starter.

I have changed starters on cars before and dont recall any coolent issues. Please any help wopuld be great. Anything I should watch for? There is lots of clearance to pull it out but my body will be contorted to get at the bolts. It sure is cramped in there.

 

[searay3]

Re: starter

Starters can be bear. Some have to pull the engine. If you can get to it, it's a typical chevy starter. Don't know about coolant unless the hoses/plumbing cause interference getting to the starter. Contort away and change it. Don't forget to disconnect the batteries before you start and remember how the wires went on the solenoid.

 

[Don S]

Re: starter

He would have changed it for me but warned me the storage coolent would leak out and it was still very cold and would be a risk.

Reading that, I would bet you have a Mercruiser of some unknown year with a Bravo outdrive. They usually have a large raw water intake hose going right past the starter. At that point, you have to remove the hose, and obviously he has used antifreeze to winterize. Sure hope he didn't run the engine on muffs with a raw water cooling system to suck antifreeze through the engine. That has about a 50% chance of actually working.
Either way, had the hose been drained and the starter changed it wouldn't have hurt a thing. The hose would have been empty, and air don't freeze and break things.
The starter mounts just like a car starter. You will see (or probably FEEL) what all is there when changing a marine starter. A marine starter is "Marine" because it's shielded to prevent sparks from igniting any gas fumes if they were in the bilge for some reason.

 

[toolsinbox]

Re: starter

Thanks for your response guys. I will tackle the starter in the morning with my son to hand me tools. i read about the marine starter being sealed and that is great but looking at the unit I see a hole where when I look in I see the windings. It's about a 3/8 inch hole about 2 inches up from the bottom ( opsit end of the starter drive) of the round stater housing. In any case I want this in the water tommorow night. I hope like hell this is the right starter for this block. I wonder if I will need different bolts to mount this thing. Anyway I will report my progress tommorow.

Thanks again.

 

[flargin]

Re: starter

What year/make is your motor.

Is this hole in the replacement, or the one currently in the boat?

 

[toolsinbox]

Re: starter

It is a 454 LS6 engine with alpha Unknown year. . The hole is in the rebuilt marine starter I am about to put in. Waiting for my teen age son to get out of the hour long shower and we will have at her.

 

[toolsinbox]

Re: starter

It worked. Hot dammm. I had to use a nut about 1/4 inch thick as a spacer because the bolts were too long but it works. I am soooo happy.
The starter that I took out had the two small terminals marked S and R With the s terminal being used from the key switch and the R terminal not being used. The rebuilt starter didnt have the small terminals marked but one of them didnt have a nut on it so I guessed and used that one and I guessed right. Not sure what would have happened if I was wrong but it works.......

I will get cleaned up and packed and off to the lake. I thank all who have helped me get this far and I couldnt have done it whithout this forum. I will report back as to my first time having this beast in the water.

 

[Bondo]

Re: starter

I had to use a nut about 1/4 inch thick as a spacer because the bolts were too long but it works.

Ayuh,... Get a set of the Right bolts,...
If you Don't,... The starter will snap Off, probably taking a chunk of the motor Block with it....

 

[toolsinbox]

Re: starter

thanks Bondo I will

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: starter

Its always a good idea to use new bolts when replacing the starter.