1997 force 90 hp starter questions

[gazelle]

1997 force 90 hp

Problem
Starter spins but does not rise to engage the fly wheel

Background
Noticed the other week before taking the boat out for first time that starter was engaged with fly wheel when the motor was off . Did not think this was right but I am not terribly mechanically inclined so I figured it should be that way since it was.

I have started the boat probably 15-20 times without problems. Died today when I tried to start it up to go home.


Question
Was the starter suppose to be engaged with motor off?
Currently starter spins but does not rise. Should I be able to lift the starter gear up by hand ? I can not move it at all?


Read archives and I will check battery and connections tomorrow with volt meter but was looking for answers to these questions while trying to trouble shoot tomorrow.

Thanks
Gazelle

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1997 force 90 hp starter questions

The bendix assembly on top of the starter is probably dirty. You can not lift it straight up because it is on a spiral--You must turn it up. It should turn freely because inertia, when the starter motor starts to spin, is what drives it up into the flywheel ring gear. Once the engine starts, the flywheel is spinning faster than the starter and drives the gear down with the aid of a small spring. Clean it by spraying it with some light penetrating oil --WD, etc.-- then re-lubricate it sparingly with a little bit of heavy oil or light grease. If the spiral is rusted, and it may be if you can not dis-engage it from the flywheel, take off the top nut, pull off the pinion gear, and clean everything before reassembling. That top nut is (I think) a 5/8 locking nut and is difficult to start to back off.
If the pinion is left engaged with the flywheel while the engine is running, it will eventually destroy the pinion, ring gear and starter motor. None of these parts were designed to handle that speed.

 

[gazelle]

Re: 1997 force 90 hp starter questions

Thanks for the info.

Wanted to follow up for the archives.

I was working on the motor when the rental boat owner saw me and asked what I was working on. Told him the issue and he said he had the same problem last year. He came on the boat and put a screw driver under the brass looking bulge that is below the bendix ( this is basically the bottom of the plunger where it follows the spiral grove up to engage the flywheel). The screwdriver was perpendicular to everything and he hit the shaft of the screw driver in an upward motion (probably 2-3 lbs of pressure) this freed the piece and we oiled it back up and got on the water without any more problems.