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Engine Hard To Turn Over
aero3113
Member Posts: 8,815 ✭✭✭✭✭
I noticed that my port engine was having trouble turning over, it did start and we went on our way and anchored. Wen we went to leave, same issue, was tough to crank over than it started and we went back to the dock. At the dock I shut down and 10 minutes later I wanted to see if it would crank over, same thing but this time I couldn’t get it to crank over to start. I tried the emergency start switch just to make sure it wasn’t the battery and same thing, struggling to turn the engine over. I smelt something and opened the hatch, it was an electrical smell. The starter was blazing hot. Before I ordered a starter, I want to make sure I get the correct one. My engine serial number is 1A316620 and this is the Quicksilver # I came up with, is this the right one? Quicksilver PN: 863007A1
2008 330EC
Post edited by aero3113 on
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You can call them Monday with the serial to get the right starter. Id also do what my dad did and have the original rebuilt as a spare.
however................
make sure you don't have leaking manifold and the starter is (was?) fine... i'll wager that is just as common as starters failing.
the reason i offer this is- USUALLY - starters just get weak and then fail- they usually don't burn up windings and insulators unless there is a LOT being demanded of them. the smell you reported is unique, it's obviously electric, but has a quality to it unlike wires being melted... that demonstrates a starter working too hard... another way to identify if this is the case is to grab the battery wire that feeds the starter... if it's hot? it's drawing too much amperage, and because it's working too hard. it's most often working too hard because it is trying to compress liquid. THIS is the way, it's been my experience, people FIRST discover issues with water intrusion in their engines.
hopefully this isn't the case with you... hopefully you've simply got a bad starter... but... this is your warning and opportunity to investigate for a leak. fixing a leak now is easy... fixing it after it worsens and causes internal engine damage? not so easy (or cheap).
We had an issue recently where Oregon chainsaw chains were being sold by an online retailer and they were being shipped cheaper rotary manufactured chain. It happens with wheel bearings a lot too.
Starters don't go bad, generally, by becoming too weak to turn the engine... the stator not engaging is the way they go 95+% of the time.
You said 6 years? Theyre gone, man... time to swap. Do it now... can be done in a two or three hours in the slip. Yeah, not cheap. Dry joints are pricey. They aren't are expensive as a rebuild, though.
While its possible the riser is faulty and allowing water intrusion it would be an easy in the water check so long as he has a new gasket and a little bellow glue on hand to pull/inspect or even replace the riser.
If he was losing coolant from the manifold id think he he would notice a level drop in his coolant reservoir.
The coolant system should be able to be pressurized to verify no leaks like on a vehicle. This won't help with testing the riser.
Is your riser cast or stainless? If cast you are well past due for a change. Stainless I thought lived substantially longer but I'm not 100% sure, would be a Google question.
Makes sense now you got the threaded guide rods from me.
Dry joint or not the pipes inside the manifold can leak, or it can drip straight back down the exhaust pipe from the elbow.
Starters don't generally die the way he's described... and I've been through what he describes several times. It's worth investigating.
Mine was from faulty exhaust flappers.
Luckily I'm in fresh water and i took care of it immediately so no engine damage.
@Aqua_Aura no way to flush. My 242 was the same way also.
2018 Cherokee 39RL Land Yacht (Sorry...)
there is a stern flush on most rigs, and if there isn't you can install one, that allows you to flush at the docks. it's a handy thing BUT don't do like i did and run the water without the engine running. the 'inversion' happened on the elbow in my case... without exhaust pulses pushing it out through the 'ring' of the elbow, it pooled and ran back down the exhaust pipe onto the exhaust valves- some were open, some were closed- before it was over ALL of them had water in them.
yes- pull plugs and spray the cylinders with a little wd40 and turn the engine over with the plugs still out if there is water present... so long as you catch it quickly there is usually zero damage other than having to change oil a couple times just hours apart.
with closed cooling all that has to be replaced is the riser and elbow... you can even use wet joint manifolds and with the stainless blocking plate to save substantial dollars... dry joint manifolds and risers aren't cheap where wet joints are... i have a complete set in my barn of wet joint, and i don't think i paid over $100 for the whole set.
with dry joint raw water, the entire set should be swapped. I lost an engine to leaking manifolds- raw water- that never showed a sign of leakage EXCEPT for the 'hard initial turn' on the starter.. the engine had a coat of enamel on it i should have been suspicious of that hid the tells.