Starter teeth not engaging flywheel teeth to start the motor

[Woodbinekeith]

Battery is fully charged. Solinoid teeth spin but the mechanism does not climb up to engage the flywheel teeth. I rotated both sets of teeth manually to get them to lock and then tried the key. The solenoid will only drive the flywheel a couple of inches and then dropped down and kept on spinning, I tapped the solenoid side a few times with a hammer and it did get a couple of inches of drive. Any thoughts/ideas before pulling the solenoid??

 

[GA_Boater]

What motor so this can be put in the right place?

In the mean while clean both cables from the battery to the starter, including the solenoid.

 

[Woodbinekeith]

It is a 1984 Evenrude 115hp - VRO. Have cleaned the cable ends that I can get to without dismantling. I should also have mentioned that the boat has been sitting without running since spring of 2015. I have put WD 40 on the solenoid shaft just below the teeth.

 

[Scott Danforth]

clean the battery terminals everywhere. they have to be shiney enough to eat with.

you are describing the classic bad conenction where not enough voltage is making it to the starter. two of the cable terminals require the starter to be unbolted.

 

[GA_Boater]

It is a 1984 Evenrude 115hp - VRO. Have cleaned the cable ends that I can get to without dismantling. I should also have mentioned that the boat has been sitting without running since spring of 2015. I have put WD 40 on the solenoid shaft just below the teeth.

Moved to the J-E section.

I'll say it again and agree with Scott - Clean and examine the cables, including those requiring starter removal.

I recommend getting a manual of some sort. You need to be able how to tell a starter from a solenoid. :smile:

 

[Woodbinekeith]

I now know the difference between the solenoid and the starter and gave the cable ends another scrubbing with a wire brush.

It seems I've introduced another problem. Took out the spark plugs, locked the teeth of the Bendix with he teeth of flywheel and put the key to start. The flywheel did move about one revolution and then there was a piercing buzzer (warning??) coming from the control lever box. Shut it down. Replaced plugs, teeth not locked up, and tried the key. Again the same piercing noise. What is this all about and what might I do now?

​Thanks for the comments thus far

 

[seabird89]

I had this same issue minus the alarm and it turned out to be the battery. I was using jumper cables to jump the battery because I wanted to see what all was wrong with the boat before buying a battery. Same symptoms, starter would not engage the flywheel, and when I engaged it manually, the starter could barely move the flywheel. Bought a new battery and all was well.

Sometimes a battery will take a charge and seem good until you put it under a load. So if you have an old battery, replace it or at least take it and get it tested.

 

[seabird89]

I did also have an issue with my alarm sounder staying on. If you are having that issue, disconnect the brown wire from the sounder and see if you still have the alarm, if you do then the sounder is bad.

 

[Woodbinekeith]

I'm also working to get my 1994 30 h.p Johnson started and made an interesting (to me) discovery. The battery has 625 cold cranking amps and was still showing about 11V on a meter. The horn wasn't connecting, nor was the tilt/trim doing more than a little grunting and only one way. There was nothing there to start the motor. Put the battery on trickle charge for a few hours to boost it to max.

Voila - horn came back, tilt/trim came back, and the motor turned over. With a little priming - the motor was running fine (on the hose/muff).

Rather disconcerting that tilt/trim/starting will be lost if the battery is down to about 75%/80%. It would seem that 625 cold crank amps is rather borderline for either a 30 h.p. or a 115 hp

Have to wonder how long a 625 battery will last with a min kota 40 electric motor - this is yet to come.

Perhaps 625 amps is also the problem with my 115 VRO - just not enough cranking amps.

 

[GA_Boater]

You don't have a problem with cold cranking amps - You have a dead battery. 11 volts is a dead battery. 12.4 volts is about the lowest to consider being charged.

If the same battery is used for a TM, it won't last long. And the starting battery running the boat and TM will leave you stuck on the water.

You need a second battery, a deep cycle battery made for things like trolling motors.

 

[Woodbinekeith]

Bingo, GA. After all of the fussing with my 115 VRO, it turned out to be the battery. I put in my other battery and it fired right up. Memo to self - only buy a new battery and make it a good one. Once the battery was changed. the warning buzzer was no longer a problem.

​I appreciate the thoughts/ideas/suggestions that came forth. I'll also get a proper battery for the Minn Kota

 

[GA_Boater]

Bingo, GA. After all of the fussing with my 115 VRO, it turned out to be the battery. I put in my other battery and it fired right up. Memo to self - only buy a new battery and make it a good one. Once the battery was changed. the warning buzzer was no longer a problem.

​I appreciate the thoughts/ideas/suggestions that came forth. I'll also get a proper battery for the Minn Kota

That's what we like to hear - Feedback that something good came out of a thread. Thanks.