Starters Bite

[DanM]

Starters SUCK, OK I had to get that off my chest. I spent my day pulling the starter out of my boat . My arm is black and blue. Not much room to get in there much less turn a wrench. After getting it out I came inside, logged on and read up on the club's experience with this sort of thing. I bought a 3" SS bolt, cut off the head and turned it into the inner bolt hole with a vice grip till it bottomed out. Nice clean unthreaded guide stud. I'll pick up the newly rebuilt starter in the AM and hopefully be done by noon. One bolt 'ala Freddie'. Shows ya how much trust there is here.

Ok all that rhetoric having been said, one question.

Inside the flywheel housing there is a white salty looking substance I believe it to be aluminum oxide, corrosion from the starter body. The nose of the starter was lousy with it (the starter was an automotive starter, not that that has anything to do with this, I'm still venting is all). Is this stuff an indication of some impending disaster that I cannot foresee? Can I put in the new starter and forget about it or will I need to pull the bell housing?(please no please no please no)

[Leprechaun]

Why do you feel it necessary to pull the bellhousing?

Because of the white crud?

Don't sweat it - go enjoy your boat and your new starter.

BTW - next time try to coordinate your starter overhauls with the removal/cleaning out of your heat exchanger or especially with starboard side manifold removal. Never ever miss an opportunity to get at that nasty little beast and overhaul it. It is one of those things that can stop you dead in your tracks if it ain't right. Remember - only one engine in these things. Everthing's gotta be right.

I do my starter every second season and hate the job with a major passion, but if you did the stud trick and use a piece of clothes line cord looped around the starter body to steady it, you can get it to go, just gotta be persistant. ;)

Pulling the RW pump and the H/E makes the job go much easier.

Pulling the motor makes it go the fastest, but we don't wanna go there, do we?

rgds, Leprechaun

[Damon]

Come'on you guys, can't you make your bodies adapt to that of a snake?? Somehow, I was able to twist and turn my body in some very funky position where I was able to remove and reinstall that stupid starter of mine fairly easy.

From the port side, I laid on my side facing the engine hatch, planted the bottom of my feet on the inside of the hull, wedged my knees against the engine hatch near the rear corners, made my body twist behind and under the starboard side of the motor, twisted my arms around and over the starter, and was able to easily remove and reinstall the 2 starter bolts.

This whole approach of removing and reinstalling my starter totally freaked me out! Never thought my body could do such things.....

Not sure if I could repeat such a thing. It was a very weird day....

Good luck!

[DanM]

Thanks for the quick response. Yes Lep, the white stuff was what I was refering to. Cool beans, I didn't want to go there fer sure. I'll just 'set it and forget it'. Of all the projects I've gotten into with this boat this is the one I don't want to repeat for a while. Even with the center console out of the way it's TIGHT. No heat exchanger - it's R/W cooled. I think I will move the R/W pump to get a lil more room for my meat hooks to get in there. Cloths line eh? Always some tip to be had here. 8)

[Rejoice]

Dan, I see you have a 1987, 22 footer, same hull as I have. I don't know how yours is set up because I have the 22' cutty cabin but I can change the starter from the rear of the engine. You have to do it all by feel but after doing it a few times I can remove and replace my starter in less than an hour without removing anything. I don't know if yours is similar but it's worth a look. One trick is to leave the battery cable on and use it as a handle.
Rejoice

[DanM]

Rejoice,
Thanks, I had thought of that but not nearly enough room. Anyway Its done, the stud did the trick and it went so much easier then it came off. Hell, I was done in 20 minutes. Maybe because my right arm no longer has feeling in it after yesterday's escapade.

I did find out that the one I took out was NOT a marine starter. Even though it still worked I'm glad to know it's gone.

Thanks to all, it was a hoot. We'll talk about it again in 2-3 years.