Starter problems

[FAT BOTTOM GIRL]

Can I change out the starter motor on my party cruiser while in the river at the dock ?
I removed the batteries & put a plywood board in the battery/engine compartment & put foam boards to level the ply & can't find to b sure the bolts that fasten the starter to the case , does anybody know where to find an exploded view to illustrate how the starter bolts up to the engine ?
Man this bites ! Wished it would have happened while on the trailer before I put it in the river !!
I tryed bypassing the selinoide to start up & just get clicking noise. 2 new batteries & no start. It would turn over but just clicks now ?

[badmoonrising]

Can it be done ? Yes. Not very easy to do as it is cramped in there. There are 2 bolts, facing downward. Should be 1/2 inch. When you bypassed the solenoid, did you bypass the starter slave solenoid mounted on top of the motor, or the main solenoid on the starter ?

The slave solenoid has an EXTREMELY high failure rate. I had 2 boats with the same engine. 3 solenoids on my Starcraft in 10 years and one on my Party Cruiser after 2 years.

I swapped it with a gold cart (very heavy duty, metal case) solenoid. Never had the problem again.

Here's a video that may help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yksWGzWuKU

Here's a diagram of the 3.0 starter:

[FAT BOTTOM GIRL]

Ok. Now that's what I needed.
I just bypassed the starter solenoid & unaware of the one that's remote & more accessible , hoping that's where the problem is.
Soon as I get to the boat after work the battery is going back in !
Does the solenoid go bad slowly ? It seemed like the motor didn't like the cooler mornings. On Saturday it was a cold start in the morning engine would turn over like a weak battery & then just click. Shortly after just click.
Just bought 2 new battery's , they both can't b bad.
As in the video fan , lighting & horn work fine !
Hope this works , the starter is going to b a PITA & I don't have monkey arms , more like Trex!
Thanks

[badmoonrising]

Yes, at first the solenoid will randomly not engage then get progressively worse. 99.9999 percent of the time it's the slave solenoid. Only time the starters go bad is if there's a leak in the bilge enough to cover the starter. Good luck.

[FAT BOTTOM GIRL]

That's encouraging news !
It was sad setting at the dock & scratching my head & watching all the other boat traffic zoomin & drifting by , all I could do was to enjoy there wake minutes later.
Was a great weekend otherwise !
Can't wait to get outa work now , must stay focused !
Much thanks

[MH Hawker]

The first step is to make sure its a sel or starter problem, Clean each and every terminal first no matter how good it looks. They can look fine but they arnt. Then see how it starts, 90 % of all starter problems is bad connections.

[FAT BOTTOM GIRL]

Tried jumping the slave solenoid on top the engine & got a louder clicking noise & the one on the starter barely sparked , no turnover.
Hooked up just the heavy starter cables nothing else , same thing.
Starter is out now , need to get a magnet & fish out a bolt from the bilge $ an inspection mirror to c if there's a shim anywhere to b found.

[badmoonrising]

There was no shims on either of my boats, but if the starter is a bit "off", it may rub the flywheel. My older 3.0 was sensitive to alignment, the Party Cruiser, not. Don't know if anything was changed since the Stacraft's 3.0 was a '99 and the PC's a 2006.

[FAT BOTTOM GIRL]

Went fishing with a magnet , got the bolts , no shim. Didn't appear to b any sign of one compressed by bolts & with the way the paint spray pattern looked either ?

[FAT BOTTOM GIRL]

Went fishing with a magnet , got the bolts , no shim. Didn't appear to b any sign of one compressed by bolts & with the way the paint spray pattern looked either ?
Tested the starter on the test bench at work & proved to b defective.

[FAT BOTTOM GIRL]

I don't know weather to play the powerball or stay clear of mirrors! Lol

[FAT BOTTOM GIRL]

Got the engine running !!
First starter I received from West marine was a no go(figures)West with great costumer service overnite shipped the correct starter at there cost !
Experience pays , taking out the starter had me worried but got the new one in with some effort.
MH Hawker was correct , the positve leads was like an anodized coating needed scraped & cleaned up , could b the cause of the starter going bad ?
Thanks again !!
This forum rocks !!