Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

[tev2229]

I'll keep it short and simple. My boat has a 470 170hp on it. Yeah I know the issues....it's an 81 Sea Ray.

The problem I encountered is that after running for a while, I turned off the engine. When I tried to re-start, the engine turned VERY slowly, then would not start. It turns for about a half rotation very quickly, but the other half is very slow. Sometimes it stops in that second half rotation.

I was able to start it up after a while, and got out of the water quick. I took it home and took off the starter solenoid, and cleaned off some corrosion. I also cleaned the cables leading to the battery. It started a little easier after that but was not as easy as it should be.

Any suggestions? Is this a timing or ignition issue? Is the starter worn? Do I need a bigger battery? The manual states approx 2 CCA for each cid, I'm running a 500 CCA battery (new) so I thought I was good.

Help! I want to go boating

 

[Bondo]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

Any suggestions? Is this a timing or ignition issue? Is the starter worn?

Ayuh,... Could be Any of 'em, or ALL of 'em....

Did you pull the sparkplugs,+ Look for Water... Hydro-lock comes to mind with your symptoms....

 

[tev2229]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

Fast reply!

No, I did not. Anything in particular to look for? While running I did notice some smoke/steam coming out of the #4 cylinder. I thought it was just the oil I had to use to get the spark plugs out...

 

[Bondo]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

Anything in particular to look for?

Ayuh,... Any really Really Clean sparkplugs,+ Water in the cylinders....

 

[tev2229]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

Will do! Thanks bond-o, will update once I check.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

I`ll wager a guess that you had a engine miss at startup the magically went away after a while, a sign of water intrusion from a hole in the riser.

 

[tev2229]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

So you are concurring with Bondo - hydrolock from water int he cylinders? Or is the water intrusion from the hole in the riser something different?

From my understanding, can I take off the plugs and crank her over to see if some water comes out? If the uncompressable water on the cylinders has no pressure buildup, if I take the plugs off, it should turn over easier and I'll know right away.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

Ayuh,... You got it... Be Lookin at the motor when you hit the Key,...
You'll probably see the burst of Water fly out...

 

[tev2229]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

I've run it a few times....will I need some new connecting rods?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

I've run it a few times....will I need some new connecting rods?

Huh,..??..??..??

If it's That bad, you'd have Known the last time it ran....
Although, being a 470,................................................Who Knows....

At this point of the diagnosis, you probably need a New exhaust riser,+ maybe a Tune Up...

 

[tev2229]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

Update...

No water in the cylinders, they are dry. The spark plugs are a nice dark black color. After having my mercruiser tech buddy (I'm lucky I guess!) take a look at it, the starter is drawing way too much power. After playing with the timing and getting it going right, we had the starting problem happen again. The wires going to the starter were pretty hot!

We took out the starter and it will be rebuilt soon, will update if that solves it.

We will see. Thanks Bond-o and bt Doctur for the help!

 

[tev2229]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues - Solved UPDATE!

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues - Solved UPDATE!

Update - In case anyone else has this problem, although rare, it was a lot cheaper than buying a new starter.

So my friend and I took out the old starter and found that the gear (bendix?) at the end that engages the flywheel was pretty chewed up. At times, the motor was trying to start but could not rotate because the gear teeth were sitting on top of each other rather than meshing together. At other times, it was not engaging at all and just spinning around.

Put in a new gear from a junkyard starter and cleaned the connections up, which were very corroded.

Here's a shot of the gear...Click to Enlarge.



Anyone seen this before?

The flywheel is in good shape and she turns over great now. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Almost stuck on the bay....hard starting issues

Yes I have seen this frequently on GM vehicles where the starter was not aligned right, or the flywheel has a bad spot which is ruining your gear. Just check the flywheel a little more throughly to be sure.