Starter? Help Please!

[altissimo79]

Hello Everyone,

I took my boat out today and noticed a few times that when I went to start the engine that when it turned over there was a high pitch metal on metal sound... it lasted for a short period of time... sometimes before the engine started sometimes right after. It is an 88 merc. 3.0 with an Alpha One drive... I don't know much about boats or engines... but it almost sounded the same as when a starter goes out on a car... thoughts? If it is a starter any thoughts about how to test it or how much it is to replace.

Thanks in advance for your help!..

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Starter? Help Please!

Boat starters are a pain in the a** to reach, and they are much more costly than car starters. Before you change it out make sure there is good battery voltage and clean connections between the battery and the starter and the solenoids. Any one of those things can be the problem. Here is a nice tutorial from Prestolite on starter diagnosis. http://www.prestolite.com/pgs_training/training_4.php
If you follow that method you can determine your needs. Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe there is something else going on.
And if you go through the steps you make sure to do it right and do it once.
Good luck!