Re: NIGHTMARE CONTINUES...any ideas?
I wouldn't bother taking the starter to an automotive store. Do you know what the specs should be? Under load? These starters overheat and get damaged extremely fast. Does the bozo at pep boys posses the proper faculties? As an ASE master mechanic for 20 years, that's living on the edge.
I'd rather get drunk and ride a unicycle on the interstate.
Besides the problem is with the gear not popping out to engage the fly wheel. That says internal starter problem to me.
Have you tried taking the starter off and seeing if you can pull the solenoid gear up by hand? Taking a pair of jumper cables and BENCH checking it after it's off the boat engine will tell you if it's good - partly. It should spin and the solenoid gear should pop up.
A quick check of the solenoid is to jump the two big terminals momentarily.
One is battery positive to the solenoid, the other is battery positive to the starter once the solenoid is engaged. Key on when you do this but be aware that you are going to turn the motor over and possibly have it start should the starter work properly. Take the usual precautions. Also do not continue to jump the terminals, the starter will stay engaged as long as you continue to do so.
When you turn the ign switch on, low voltage from the switch enters the solenoid and allows the solenoid to make the connection for the high voltage to the starter. It's engineered this way because you can't run high voltage through a switch without it burning up and being a hazard. This is the purpose of all relays. Since battery voltage is available at the starter relay anytime the key is on, engineers have also used it as a source the for other devices. Choke solenoids, etc. Basically anything that may be essential to have activated at the time of an engine start.
You can use a pair of insulated needle nose pliers. Every old Econoline van owner knows this trick, as Ford was the only auto maker that used the same style of solenoid. They failed just as much too. Do not replace a boat solenoid with an automotive one even though the marine one cost more and they look the same. They aren't.
With all of the above noted, the starters used on Force motors are notorious for a high failure rate. Mostly caused by operator error though. They have a tendency to over heat quickly from repeated attempts to crank a motor that won't start right away. This welds the internal contacts to the contact plate.
DO NOT BANG on it. This will crack the internal magnets that are epoxied to the inside of the case. It make work once, and it may cause a piece of magnet to dislodge and jam the starter after you're out on the water.
Before condemning your engine rebuild abilities I personally would double check ALL wiring to ensure that the proper wires are going to their proper locations, also the starter ground wires. Then I would disassemble that starter. Clean the inside and make sure that everything moves properly and reinstall it.
