Starter studs on a mercruiser 140??? Can't get the starter out

[woo102]

I'm new to iBoats. I was a mechanic for a few years then went on to become an engineer. I've had a few boats over the years and have always done my own work on all my boats.

I just bought a 1984 (or 86....something like that) stingray 17' super sport with a mercruiser 140. I call it 'cheap and dirty' because it was dirt cheap but pretty rough.
The sole purpose of this boat is to let my 16 year old son get some time on the water without actually taking my primary boat (2015 stingray 225 LR).

Anyway......we took out the 17' boat last weekend. It ran great until we had an electrical issue. At some point, my son turned off the key but the boat kept running.....then (somehow) the starter engaged and wouldn't stop. This caused the starter to burn up.....now I have to troubleshoot my electrical issues ( not a big deal ) and replace the starter.

I didn't think replacing the starter was a big deal.....until I found out that the starter was held on by 2 studs / nuts. After loosening the nuts, the starter does not have enough clearance to drop down and come off the studs.....the nose of the starter hits the bell-housing.

I've replaced MANY GM automotive starters and a couple mercruiser starters.......all of those starters were held in by bolts......this is the first time I've come across a starter held in by studs.

The only way I can see to get the clearance needed to slide the starter off the studs is to separate the engine / bell-housing.......this seems extreme.

Has anyone run into this issue before?
If so, what did you do to replace the starter?

I hoped that maybe I could remove the studs, but they don't have hex heads on them anywhere......and I tried to grab them with vice=grips and twist them out but they won't budge.

My current coarse of action is to leave the starter nose/gears/solenoid on the engine and just remove / replace the motor.
Is this my only option other than splitting the motor and bell-housing to get the clearance I need to slide the starter off the studs?

 

[RaceCarRich]

Is there enough thread sticking out to double nut the stud and wrench them out?

 

[woo102]

That’s a good idea, and I probably have enough room to give that a shot. I also have a welder and could tack a nut to the stud and give that a shot as well. I’m really not sure how tightly those studs are stuck in the block.

I really am looking for someone who has run into the same issue and resolved it (so I know for sure what worked) before I try a bunch of potential solutions.

 

[Scott Danforth]

someone was in there before you there should be bolts

you may need to pull the motor

 

[kenny nunez]

I once had to disassemble the starter on the engine by removing the solenoid and 2 long studs that hold the field frame to the aluminum mounting nose because the owner’s socket rounded the bolts off. At that point it is possible to pull the armature off also. Then with a pneumatic chisel cut the housing enough to finally unscrew the bolts.

 

[Bondo]

someone was in there before you there should be bolts

you may need to pull the motor

Ayuh,...... Mountin' a starter with studs was a dumb idea, for sure,.......

Double nuttin', 'n tackin' oughta work,......

 

[woo102]

Thanks everyone. I have a replacement starter. I’m going to try a little harder to remove the studs (double nut approach). If that doesn’t work, I’ll pop the motor off the new starter and put it in the old starter nose/housing (still attached to the boat).

if neither of those work, I’ll think harder about separating the engine from the bell housing......or if I’m feeling adventurous, cut/grind a portion of the bell housing to give the starter clearance to drop straight down off the studs.......that sounds a little risky though.....I’d be worried the bell housing would crack at some point if I took that much material out.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you can have the whole motor out of the boat in 45 minutes. that is the route I would go vs voiding a warranty on a new starter or structurally ruining a flywheel housing.

 

[woo102]

Definitely agree with you that grinding the bell housing is not a good idea......sometimes I blurt out dumb ideas without thinking

 

[Searay205]

Yea I like the idea of cutting the existing starter apart, get studs out. What an idiot. Kinda like getting a YZ125 dirt bike most teenagers first dirt bike, every screw stripped, nuts rounded, mostly held together by tie wraps.

 

[woo102]

I wound up just leaving the old starter housing/nose in the boat. I popped the motor off of the new starter and put it on the old starter housing/nose.

I also found the culprit for the old starter burning up in the first place......the start relay/solenoid (not the starter solenoid, but the relay that feeds the starter solenoid) was stuck in the closed position. I’ll replace that today and have it back on the water.

Actually......I made my son do all this work, so he can get the true boat ownership experience

I realize I’ll still have to deal with the studs later if there’s a more significant starter issue.