marine vs auto starter

[thmlrmg]

Hey guys my starter is out and i was wondering if i could replace it with an auto starter? Any suggestion on why i couldn't do this? Thanks

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: marine vs auto starter

Yes,an auto starter will make you go BOOM!!!

 

[thmlrmg]

Re: marine vs auto starter

why is that? is the marine one shielded and the auto isn't? thanks for the quick post and apparently saving my life

 

[fendersfender]

Re: marine vs auto starter

marine starters are sealed so that no open spark is present. automotive starters are not. if automotive starter is installed you risk blowing you and your boat out of the water

 

[Boomyal]

Re: marine vs auto starter

Take your marine starter to a local rebuilder. Don't use an automotive starter. They are not spark shielded. Like CC says, make you go boom!

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: marine vs auto starter

No charge for the life saving!!!!Hopefully you can post some help for another member here some day. Charlie

 

[Boomyal]

Re: marine vs auto starter

Originally posted by thmlrmg:<br /> why is that? is the marine one shielded and the auto isn't? thanks for the quick post and apparently saving my life

Because automotive starters do not sit in a closed engine compartment with a bilge full of explosive gasoline fumes.

 

[trog100]

Re: marine vs auto starter

"bilge full of explosive gasoline fumes".. if i thought my boat was full of such things on a regular basis i dont recon i would dare go near it.. marine starter or not.. he he he<br /><br />i know its a possibility.. but hopefully rarely a reality.. he he<br /><br />i wonder if folks use that extractor fan thingy designed to clear any nasty gases from the engine compartment before starting their engine.. i know i dont..???<br /><br />trog100

 

[Boomyal]

Re: marine vs auto starter

I guess we won't be to surprised then Trog, when we no longer see your posts that question conventional wisdom?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: marine vs auto starter

ask ol buddy ponton. he actually survived his penn yahn explosion with no other injuries than a hangover the next day and a set of jitters. his new boat has 2 working blowers and an above deck tank. the penn was a total loss. Cuz was on the dock and said buddy still had his hand on the keyswitch at an altitude of about 15 ft. lifted the entire upper deck and console. some of the deck hatches we never found some were 100ft away in the marsh.

 

[jlinder]

Re: marine vs auto starter

Chances are that with an auto starter you won't blow up. <br /><br />Of course chances are much better that you won't need your seat belts in the car, or you won't need the air bags, or need your life preserver, or excetera, excetera, excetera.<br /><br />Odds are that eventually you will have some fumes. With marine parts you have that extra margin of safety.<br /><br />Don't do it. It's a bad, dangerous move.<br /><br />That also goes for alternators and fuel pumps.

 

[trog100]

Re: marine vs auto starter

he he he.. praps i should train myself to use it.. i must admit i dont think about it much.. <br /><br />i bet i aint the only one who is a bit careless about useing the blower either.. he he.. kaboom..<br /><br />trog100

 

[tommays]

Re: marine vs auto starter

most of the marine starters cost less than the new GM gear reduction starters on the front wheel drive V-6 there listing at 300 dollars!!!!<br /><br />i cant even think about not useing the blower even on a 20 ft boat its just not worth the risk<br /><br />tommays

 

[rabidfish]

Re: marine vs auto starter

Also: It's not just fuel fumes that can ignite.<br /><br />Fuel fumes you can usually smell... And know if you're safe.<br /><br />Hydrogen is emitted from most batteries while they are being charged. Whether with a battery charger or by the engine's alterntor. Hydrogen doesn't smell and is harder to detect. One of the most graphic examples of ignited hydrogen is the exploding "Hindenburg".<br /><br />OH... The humanity!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: marine vs auto starter

Not to mention the insurance aspect. not certified marine, no coverage for damages.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: marine vs auto starter

so far I have witnessed one engine box light off. was fairly cool. lucky the fireball goes out rapidly but the engine box goes pretty high. I usually am involved with 2 or 3 blown boats each year,most are minor and other than some minor scars and permmant stains most are k. all have 2 things in common. lack of professionalmaint and lack of blowers or use of blowers. just sit at any ramp in the summer. man drives up backs around driver jumps in man backs boat in driver cranks engine. no engine box sniff test, no blower test no safety check.<br /> watch it all the time. I do have a pair of twin hamiton jet boats that are used as tour boats wired so if the blowers are off there is no cranking the engines. all it takes is a relay and a few wire changes.should be a mandatory function.<br /> but whats amazing is in this area we have more disel boats light off than gas, most due to excessive oil on a manifold and poor engine room cleanleness and heaters. last one a kerosene heater fell over at pirates cove. roasted 3 boats.<br />why someone would have an open flame heater in a boat is beyond me.<br /> maybe he was working on a Darwin award.

 

[cmyers_uk]

Re: marine vs auto starter

no engine box sniff test

First thing I do, lift the engine cover take a big sniff,No smell ,then turn on battery & then blower. I must admit to not waiting 4 mins before I crank as having had the engine compartment open and had a good sniff I feel its not full of a petrol air mix.

 

[olbuddyjack]

Re: marine vs auto starter

wired so if the blowers are off there is no cranking the engines.

I like that idea! I can remember to run the blower first out but often forget after sitting a while on the water. Probably the worst place to be when launching a motor cover.<br />Looks like I got a wiring project to get at...<br /><br />kudos rodbolt!

 

[trog100]

Re: marine vs auto starter

such thing as gas-sniffer alarms have to be fitted to LPG converted boats in the UK.. any gas in there and they scream a load warning..<br /><br />i know the odd boat does catch fire.. over here in the UK the most common cause would be gas stoves (cookers) which most boats bigger than a skiff seem to be fitted with.. <br /><br />with these engine compartment blow-ups.. does anybody ever get to find out whats sets it off.. ???<br /><br />my main culprit would be the so called flame arrestor.. however much i look at the finned thing stuck on the top of my carb i really cant imagine it doing much good if the engine compartment was really full of explosive gases..<br /><br />blowers wired in to the ignition sounds a good idea.. prpas one blowing in and one blow out.. and well ventilated engine compartments should be par for the course.. easy to do as well for the more safety consious among us.. engines buried under swim platforms and all sorts of pretty purely stylish lookig junk also stikes me as a fire/explosion waiting to happen..<br /><br />personally i rely on regular visual inspection (not that easy on some badly designed boats) of things that might leak explosive content.. and above all the good old human nose..<br /><br />as for safety things in cars like airbags and seatbelts.. they might protect the occupants of the car they are fitted to.. but they kill others.. all cars should have airbags fited to the front bumpers and any frontal impact should trigger big spikes fitted to the dash which shoot out and spear the driver.. our roads would become instantly safe overnight then.. he he he..<br /><br />trog100

 

[rodbolt]

Re: marine vs auto starter

I know what ya feel about the spikes Trog, I am thinking on designing a cell phone signal jammer with a 5o ft or so effective range for the person who is endangering my life and the lives of others by blabbering on the phone while driving. most cant chat,drive and pay attention to the world around them with a tellyphone stuck in the ear. maybe a cell phone interlock is next. no cell signal while the engine is running.