Need help with starter

drillerb57

drillerb57

Member
Feb 12, 2012
135
Brunswick,Lake Erie
Boat Info
1992 290 Sundancer
Engines
7.4 single Bravo2 drive
I have a 7.4 / 454 ...Took the starter out , had it rebuilt now I am having trouble putting it back in.

( it is the same starter, I told them I wanted the oem rebuilt not a shelf rebuild )

The front bolt goes in , but the back one just will not line up.

I did have to give it a shake for the rear bolt to release when I took it off. Is there a pin that I have to line up with ? :huh:

I did leave the front bolt loose, I even took it out and tried to start with the back one.. The front bolt (as I call it ) is closest to the flywheel....

:smt100
 
I'm sure it's a difficult position to work in... there is no alignment pin, so you just have to wiggle it into place. Maybe use a smaller bolt or pin to help align it up.
 
Dont try to start it without both bolts securly tightened - otherwise you can crack the starter or (worse) mounting pad. Was the starter shimmed? Paint or grease could have allowed the shims to stick and/or shift on the block restricting one of the holes. Typically, the threads in those holes dont start until .25" or so down the hole and the bolts have that much "blank - nonthreaded" area on the tip too - this is designed to help get the bolt ligned up and started.
 
no shims that I saw....The rear bolt has a sleeve ? coming out the bolt hole ...that's what it feels like anyway..

well thanks for the replies ,,,if anyone has any more thoughts / ideas please mention them.
 
I have a small mirror on a telescoping handle that is great for seeing what otherwise would be impossible. Good luck with it, I never had any starter trouble.
 
Hey Dave, Those things just happen...I`m going back up on Friday to work on her... I did buy a mirror..should help out..I`m going to take some picture and post them..maybe

it will help out the next person..
 
Sounds good.
 
Did you try turning the starter gear a several degrees? It's possible the gears are hitting each other instead of meshing.
 
I did think of that ....but the pinion gear is recessed until it kicks out to start...or am I wrong ?

but to answer your question ,,no I didn`t turn the gear...I will give it a try , Thanks
 
drillerb57 said:
I did think of that ....but the pinion gear is recessed until it kicks out to start...or am I wrong ?

but to answer your question ,,no I didn`t turn the gear...I will give it a try , Thanks
Click to expand...

You are correct, the gears don't mesh until the solenoid kicks out.
 
this is a long shot here, but is it possible that one of the mounting bolts has a slight bend in it?....if so you will need to be sure this bolt gets in the right mounting hole on the starter....i have had situations that when something was installed new the part did not align perfectly with the mounting holes...as a result when the mounting bolts were tightend (torqued) down the bolt that was slightly out of alignment bent slightly...if the part is then removed the only way to get it mounted again was to insure the bent bolt is in the same mounting hole in the part that it came out of....

cliff
 
Thanks Jim, thats what i thought.

Cliff, I will double check the bolts, going tomorrow to work on her..


Thanks to everyone who replyed , I will post Sunday night , with good news I hope.
 
Well it`s Saturday night and I`m back....The starter was not the problem, I pulled the batteries to have them checked at the auto parts store.. They are good, like new the counter man said.
With that info The only thing to check was the motor.. I put a 3/4 inch socket on the crank and it took all I had to turn it..after I turned it by hand the starter would turn it 1/8 maybe and stop again...

The boat ran good all 3 times I went out..I never ran her hard , in fact never even went over 3000 rpm, temp always ran around 160 ..

On my way in I did run over a high spot in the river. Kicked up some muck, I picked up the stern drive as fast as I could..My question now is ,, could the muck / mud in the river lock up the motor???

I am in HELL right now .
 
Pull the plugs and see if you have anything in the cylinders? I compression checked that motor last year and it was high 130s & low 140s so I know it is solid. It also has new exhaust shutters in '09 (thinking possible water intrusion). I tried your phone... Call me on my cell!

Did the engine stall or quit when you hit the "high spot"?
Did you come off plane quickly....possible wake swamping the back of the boat?

1- label plug wires
2- remove all plugs
3- attempt to turn motor over...still no go?

4 - pull boat and remove outdrive
5 - attempt to turn motor over
 
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Thanks Rick , Dave ..I`ll head back today and pull the spark plugs.

When I went over the high spot , I just kicked up some mud..boat never stopped ..still had a 5 min ride back to dock..I did however have a hard time backing up into the dock.

It took about 5 / 6 tries..but I never goosed the motor. steady eddy !
 
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Also tilt the drive up and see if you can get a visual on the prop and lower unit. Look for damage, debris, old rope, etc. restricting prop. Call me anytime for assistance.
 
I talked to Driller today, he found water in the engine. He cleared the cylinders out and got her running with new spark plugs. I am sure he will report back tonight or tomorrow. The question is, how did the water get in?
I inspected the risers and elbows two years ago and installed new Merc gaskets. There was lots of life left in the parts and its always been a freshwater boat. I suspect water got in when he last backed into his slip....but I am still a bit puzzled.
I am so glad he is back up and running!
 
I bet the mannies or risers are bad - I wouldn't run it again until they are replaced - the wear is not linear - once they start to go, they go quick - exactly how old were they and how did you inspect the internal passages?
 
They are original as far as I know (20yrs). I pulled them off and used a dental mirror and flashlight. They looked good to me. I have heard freshwater manifilolds & elbows can last the life of the engine. I will be curious to hear if he had water in all 8 cylinders or just a few?
If all eight, it would point more to "swamping"...wouldn't it?
 
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