Electric Start Problem

[duckhunter55]

1978 25hp johnson. Just converted it from pull start to electric. Have a few Q"s. What do the 2 leads from the push button connect to? I know the solenoid but to which posts? ALso i have been jumping the starter with jumper cables and it doesn't seem to hit the fly wheel right. Sometimes it will catch the flywheel and just stop, meshed togther. Is there some way to adjust the starter? THanks for help in advance!

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Electric Start Problem

Is the battery fully charged and load tested, 12.65 volts?

All connection clean and tight?

No buldges or nicks in any of the wiring?

Any nicks or burrs in the teeth? Bendix clean, smooth and lightly oiled?

 

[flabum]

Re: Electric Start Problem

One lead to the positive side of the solenoid (where the battery cable hooks up) and the other lead to one of the small terminals on the solenoid. The other small terminal gets grounded through the nuetral safety switch.

If the starter is not meshing right with the flywheel, then you have the wrong starter. There are two different starters for that motor: one has 9 teeth on the bendix and the other has eleven. You have to count the teeth on the flywheel and get the right starter. If you can't return the starter, you can just change the bendix with the right one.

 

[duckhunter55]

Re: Electric Start Problem

My starter has 9 teeth. The guy i bought it from is a boat mechanic and he said it was bench tested before i bought it. I have checked all terminals and connections. I'm currently charging my batt. to make sure thats not the prob, but it worked fine on my other boat. Should you be able to move the bedex gear on top of starter up and down by hand? I cant do it, but if i push the button starter will spin and barely maove upwards. But sometimes it will pop up and just mesh and stop with flywheel.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Electric Start Problem

Measure the voltage at the starter (+) terminal while somebody turns the motor over - if you get within half a volt or so of the battery voltage (which should be 12.65 volts) , the starter is possibly faulty.

Bad voltage at starter (with clean tight connections), measure the voltage at the solenoid small terminal with the yellow/red wire with the motor turning over, you should read within a half-volt of battery voltage, otherwise you have a wiring fault between the push button & solenoid. Good voltage at solenoid but bad voltage at starter means faulty solenoid.

Now connect a single jumper cable between the POS battery terminal and directly to the large terminal on the starter. If the starter spins each time you do that, the solenoid is likely the culprit.

Connect another jumper cable to the NEG battery terminal and a good ground (bare bolt head or bracket) on the engine. Now do the same test you did in the previous step. If the starter now goes ok, you have a negative battery cable problem or the solenoid is bad.