Do starters just die?

[adt2]

Working on my old '57 Johnson 35 - which worked a couple of summers ago but has been sitting since then - and I'm having some kind of electrical problem. Battery is charged (it spins the '57 Evinrude 35 sitting right next to the Johnson). I've replaced the starter solenoid and the push-button switches (this is somebody's aftermarket electric start installation and it looks like Ray Charles did it at night), but still no go. As far as I can tell, the starter is the only thing left, right?

Do those things just die at some point? Does it just need some lubrication? Should I just locate a replacement? What, in short, do I do now?

 

[Roberthill]

Use jumper cables , hook up to battery ,connect ground cable to motor , touch positive cable to starter (at starter connection where bolt and nut are ) If it turns over you have a break(bad connection) somewhere but starter should be ok. Hope this is helpful .

 

[adt2]

Yep, did that - nada. Sorry, should've mentioned that in the original post.

 

[Roberthill]

If battery cables didn't help ,remove starter and take it apart may need brushes and or cleaning up.

 

[gm280]

You can either disassembly the starter yourself and see what's wrong OR take it to most any auto parts store and have them test it. But being how you really already TESTED it by jumping the hot wire to the starter input tab, it seem disassembly is the next thing to do. Make certain your ground is indeed good before removing and disassembling the starter. If you used jumper cables to jump to the starter, take the other jumper cable and attack to so ground metal close to the starter to verify your ground wire is good. And try one more time jumping the positive to the starter again... JMHO!