Starter problem

[craazyboutbass]

Well I fished Parksville this afternoon, got back to the ramp to load up and couldn't crank the motor. That "whhhhaaaaaaaaaar" sound going off when Id trycrank it, then nothing. Figured maybe it was the battery that had too much currosion on it. Well I just now cleaned off the battery, tried to crank up the motor. No luck. Took the cap off the motor to investigate. Turned the key again, noticed that the gear on the starter was not kicking up to turn the motor over. It was spinning fast and normal, just not popping up. Any ideas why it might be doing this? Not enough power? Starter gone bad, or just something else that could be a quick fix for it? </p>

The starter is only a year and a half old, it was the cheapest one I could find emoBigsmile $125 or something like that. Starter is specifically for a Force motor like my Tracker (not to great of a motor IMO)</p>

Just hoping its something I can fix up easily, instead of having to buy a new starter... emoVomit Thanks for any info!</p>

 

[craazyboutbass]

Oh and another question... if I end up having to get a new starter (no problem putting them on or anything) where can I get one at online, or could I just go to the Cleveland boat center and get them to order me one? Id rather get it cheaper by getting it online, but I cant find one for a year model 2000 Tracker Force 90hp. All I see is 1966-94 years. Bite is getting good on Parksville and I will be going crazy if the boat is out of commission for too long LOL

 

[JDK]

id make sure your battery is fully charged.. if it isn't charged full there wont be enough power to kick that gear up

 

[craazyboutbass]

Just charged it last night. One thing I need to check is the water in it, forgot to do that. Then again everything else is running normally.

 

[jimwarden]

Kevin, I found this link about troubleshooting the Force 90 starter:

http://forums.iboats.com/Force-Outboards/Starter

 

[fischnrod]

JDK - 11/6/2010 12:05 AM

id make sure your battery is fully charged.. if it isn't charged full there wont be enough power to kick that gear up[


ALSO YOU COULD SPRAY A LITTLE MACHINE OIL ON AND AROUND THE GEAR AND SHAFT IT'S ON///LIKE JDK SAID,THEY DO WORK BEST WITH A FULLY CHARGED BATTERY AND I HAVE HAD THEM DO THE SAME THING TO ME BECAUSE OF A LOW BATTERY. A BATTERY THAT'S LOW ON WATER WILL LOSE IT'S CHARGE QUICK, ESPECIALLY IN COLD WEATHER.

 

[foodsaver]

if you have to get one go to db electrical. They are online. I just paid 60 bucks for one shipped for a 75 hp force motor. They also come with a one year warranty.

 

[Rangerman]

Same thing happened to my Merc. several years ago, turns out the shaft that the gear runs up was BONE dry, thus not allowing the gear to travel up. I took a flat screw driver and a little WD-40 and got the geaar to move upward and then applied a small amount of marine grease to the shaft. Problem solved.

 

[craazyboutbass]

foodsaver - 11/6/2010 7:46 AM if you have to get one go to db electrical. They are online. I just paid 60 bucks for one shipped for a 75 hp force motor. They also come with a one year warranty.

</p>

Wow, they're cheap. $47 for the starter for a 90hp Force, thats almost saving $80 if I end up having to get a new one.Thanks for letting meknow about that!Going to check around with my starter a little more today. Put the battery on the charger again last night... will make sure the water in it is full, make sure all the wires are connected well leading all the way up to the starter, if its none of that well shoot I guess its the starter. $47 aint bad though, thanks again for all your replies! Will take so more ideas on what in the starter could be producing the problem if it by anychance wasn't connection or power problems. </p>

 

[craazyboutbass]

Rangerman - 11/6/2010 10:39 AM Same thing happened to my Merc. several years ago, turns out the shaft that the gear runs up was BONE dry, thus not allowing the gear to travel up. I took a flat screw driver and a little WD-40 and got the geaar to move upward and then applied a small amount of marine grease to the shaft. Problem solved.

</p>

Thanks for the info, going to check everything electrical first... will try that if I need too. Seems like the gear is spinning fast, but not kicking up.</p>

 

[craazyboutbass]

Starter problem (FIXED now)

Fixed! Thank goodness. Thanks Rangerman, ended up spraying WD-40 on the shaft, after that I went to turn it over... it popped right up. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Rangerman]

Glad it worked, you might want to put a dab of maring grease on the shaft.

 

[craazyboutbass]

Rangerman - 11/6/2010 1:01 PM Glad it worked, you might want to put a dab of maring grease on the shaft.

</p>

Yeah I'm gonna see if I have any, if not I'm gonna get some here soon. Thanks for the help!</p>

 

[wrechin2]

Don't spray it with WD-40 too much as it will find it's way in the bottom of the starter and will cause issues with the brushes by creating a gum by mixing with the carbon dust from the brushes. This will cause the brushes to stick. I looked at Foodsaver starter last weekend and his was the bushings were killed in the top and bottom. I put him onto the DB electrics. I have used the ATV starters in the past with good results.

 

[craazyboutbass]

Thanks for pitching in, James. Just a light spray of WD-40 got it working (for now). Will have to spread a tiny dab of grease on it and I assume it will be good to go for a good while. Funny how just a little WD-40 will fix alot of things. BTW, I'm glad to hear about DB electrics... looks like all their stuff is pretty cheap. Thanks for the heads up about the WD-40, atleast it only took a little for it to get things working or I probably would've killed the starter LOL

 

[wrechin2]

If you stand back and understand how the starter gear works, the gear stays stationary for a split second while the shaft spins. This causes the gear to climb up the helix threads of the shaft and engage the flywheel. If the starter is spinning slow from glazed brushes, loose cables, or a weak battery, this will not allow it to climb high enough to engage the flywheel because the gear catches up and starts spinning the same speed as the shaft and quits climbing. Sometimes the gear has a little bit of drag from being dry or has dirt on it and this will also not allow it to engage the flywheel either. The WD-40 helps free it up. The manual actually calls for 1 drop of 10W oil for the lubrication of the gear and bushings on the starter. Wd-40 actually dissipates in a few days where the oil will not. That is why you have to spray it more often with WD. I have rebuilt starters that people keep spraying WD-40 on until they quit working. When I tear them down I find a huge mess in the bottom of the starter. If you have a impact wrench or access to one, I would suggest you remove the starter and the gear and clean the shaft and gear with a wire brush and brake cleaner then assemble with the 10W oil as per the factory manual and see if that cures your issue. With it getting colder, the grease will thicken and create problems (drag) if you use it in the winter. Just My .02