1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

[NJA Pilot]

The Starter spins but doesn't pop up to engage flywheel, I have tried

1. Cleaning all electrical Cables
2. Had the starter rebuilt by professional

I'm getting 12 volts continuously at the Solenoid and 12 Volts at the starter when the ignition is engaged.

The only thing I can think of is a bad solenoid, but if it were bad I wouldn't be getting 12 Volts at the starter right?

Any help would be appreciated...

 

[noelm]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

just make sure the little gear thing (bendix) is free on the shaft, you can spray a tiny bit of WD spray on it, but they are usually left clean and dry. It relies on the speed of the spinning shaft to "lift" it up and engage the flywheel teeth.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

cables deteriorate from the inside, any little nick and there could be just a few wires conducting electricity. getting 12 volts but not enough amps.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

Voltage isnt the isue here it's amperage. Without the ability for your cabling and battery system to supply lots of current (amperage) the starter wont have enough oomph to centrifically(if thats a word) raise the bendix up the shaft and engage the flywheel. This takes signifigant current and perfect battery connections. The starter shaft may have some corrosionon it slowing things down but usually it's battery cables. Check the shaft and clean it with some scotch brite pads and apply a tiny bit of light oil (not WD40). Make sure everythig slides about with zero resistance.

Clean you battery terminals and any connector fron the battery to the starter you can find. (Use sand paper around 400 grit it works wonders) spray some corrosion inhibitor spray on the terminals after you've cleaned them and installed the cables to keep them clean. And try again. When you crank the engine the starters bendix should click into position immediately. If the second time you crank it you dont hear the click, then it's hanging and you need to keep trying more connections or clean the corrosion.

Persistance pays. Sometimes a battery cable will corrode from the inside out even in the middle of a cable run. If cost isnt an issue just replace the cables and start with fresh wiring. It may save you some time. You can jump the battery directly to the starter at the selenoid to see how it should work. If this doesnt improve the situation corrosion on the bendix shaft is probably an issue. Clean it up good and your problem sholud vanish.

Good luck you'll get it! It aint rocket science just old

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

cables deteriorate from the inside, any little nick and there could be just a few wires conducting electricity. getting 12 volts but not enough amps.

If he has 12 volts on the starter when it's cranking, then it's 1 of 2 things:
The starter is broke (or the connection right at the starter isn't clean) or there is no ground. A battery doesn't "push" current through a wire; the load "pulls" it. If the positive side were deteriorated and the starter and ground were good, then the starter would try to pull it's 100 amps of current across the bum connection, and there would be a voltage drop when measured at the starter. Hopefully all of the measurements were taken with the negative voltmeter lead referenced to the negative battery terminal.

 

[NJA Pilot]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

Thank you all so much for the replies...

The connections couldn't be cleaner, the starter was rebuilt today and bench tested by a professional, it should be good. It's gotta be either the solenoid or the wiring, right now I'm trying to figure out how to test amps with my actron multitester. How many amps should I see at the starter, 100?
Thanks

 

[NJA Pilot]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

Apparently my multi-tester doesn't do amps because it read zero and got very hot quickly, I'm an idiot if you have figured that out yet.
Anyhow should the starter shaft be able to spin in both directions? I read somewhere that it shouldn't and this one does.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

Check your ground connection from the motor all the way to the battery. That would be the resistance setting on your voltmeter, if it still works. You won't get 12 V at the starter with a bad solenoid. Do you hear the solenoid click when the key is turned?

 

[NJA Pilot]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

Check your ground connection from the motor all the way to the battery. That would be the resistance setting on your voltmeter, if it still works. You won't get 12 V at the starter with a bad solenoid. Do you hear the solenoid click when the key is turned?

1. Yes I do hear the solenoid click when the key is turned.

2. I cleaned the ground connection it seems to be in good working order. I did notice that my Voltmeter isn't working this year, last year it did. Strange?

Thank You for posting!

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

The voltmeter has batteries in it, and fuses.
The resistance between the negative battery terminal and the motor should ideally be less than 1 ohm

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

i believe he is talking about a console gauge, not a tester, tester has batteries, gauge does not. gauge could be bad rectifier, but that would not effect the starter, it is the battery charging circuit.

 

[NJA Pilot]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

Alright, to date I've got:

1. The cleanest connections you can get
2. A rebuilt starter with new brushes and magnets, by a professional
3. A new solenoid

None of which have helped.

Then I went and bought a new 2ga Ancor battery cable. I ran it from the battery switch to the starter. I didn't get any power through it, what am I missing here?


p.s.- I've got a mechanic coming on Sunday

 

[bankerjohn]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

The Starter spins but doesn't pop up to engage flywheel,

There's got to be a simple solution here!

When the professional rebuilt the starter, I assume he bench tested his work. Did the drive assembly spin up fully on the armature shaft in his shop?

If it worked correctly in his shop, then the problem has got to be that the starter is not getting sufficient amperage ... which could be solenoid, cabling and/or connections.

Have you tried using jumper cables to go straight from the battery to the starter?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

I ran it from the battery switch to the starter. I didn't get any power through it, what am I missing here?

What battery switch? You kind of left that little detail out...
Have you checked the ground yet?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

By pass the battery switch and see what happens.
Let us know.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

try a new battery?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

agree go directly battery to motor. you could have corroded contact on battery switch.

 

[NJA Pilot]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

I took a pair of jumper cables today and ran directly from a brand new battery (tested 12.5 v) to the starter.
The Starter spun but did not engage. I guess I have a bad starter, right?

 

[NJA Pilot]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

There's got to be a simple solution here!

When the professional rebuilt the starter, I assume he bench tested his work. Did the drive assembly spin up fully on the armature shaft in his shop?

If it worked correctly in his shop, then the problem has got to be that the starter is not getting sufficient amperage ... which could be solenoid, cabling and/or connections.

Have you tried using jumper cables to go straight from the battery to the starter?

He tells me he bench checked it and it worked fine, I'm starting to question him though.

 

[NJA Pilot]

Re: 1984 OMC V4 90HP, Starter Spins, Doesn't Engage...it gets worse

What battery switch? You kind of left that little detail out...
Have you checked the ground yet?

The ground from the battery to the engine block has clean connections, but I haven't tried any other type of test, I guess I could try that next.

Thanks for posting!