starter brushes/ Holy smokes this could be bad
youstolemybeer
Member Posts: 246 ✭✭✭
You are going to love this.
Ok, the soon to be wife said she wants to get married on one of the beaches that we always visit, my reply: Great we can do this, get married then go play on the boat. Sounds like a great time if you ask me. So yesterday I go to clean the boat because the wedding is this weekend. I disconnect the shore power, crank up the radio, and start hosing it down. (1995 265 Fiesta VEE 454 carb). After 3 hours of cleaning the boat looks GREAT.
Then the feces hits the rotating oscillator.
I try to start the engine. Darn, ran the battery down. No biggy flip the switch to the secondary battery. yep its dead too. Off to the parts store I go. install new battery (converted from 2 battery to 1 with plans on making my own stereo system power supply) hit the key expecting manna to fall from the sky because I am so awesome. Yep it wont start, just get a click from the red button breaker. Trace the problem to either a dead starter or dead solenoid on the starter. By the way to all 265 owners, pull the fresh water tank out before you even think of attacking the starter, and its a1/2 inch bolt. ok get the starter to the parts shop this morning they hook it up, come to find out the solenoid wont move and they want 150 for a new starter that will be in by Monday. UMmm I aint the sharpest knife in the drawer but even I know that this is a bad thing (wedding beach SATURDAY) So I take the starter home and take it apart. Come to find out that the solenoid was corroded causing it not to move, hook it up to my jeep battery, engages now but the bendix doesn't turn, back to the tool bench. Take it further apart and find that the brushes are frozen in place due to corrosion as well. Tap them loose with a small hammer and flat punch, clean the armetur with sand paper, put it back together and whew. the starter works as it should.. Back to the parts shop to have it tested. Tested fine. all numbers are well within specs. I will be installing it either tonight or Friday. Wish me luck
Now a question, does anyone know where I can get starter brushes? After the wedding I would not mind taking the starter out and putting new brushes in.
Hope I gave ya a laugh
Steve
Comments
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Man, you really wanted that. And I admire your innocent theory of blissfully spending the day on the boat. Ya gotta love newly weds and the euphoric glow.
I had lunch yesterday with a 6'-5" broad shouldered "true grit" John Wayne kinda ranch owner guy who's been married over 60 years. He told me he was talking with a woman who after listening to his tale of how a woman "needs to know her place" for a happy marriage, she exclaimed that it's a blessing that he was still married if for no other reason than to save some other poor woman from a life of grief.
He's the same guy who with a big boisterous laugh reminds our rather butch women on staff that God provided Eve to "serve" her man. Yowza, you gotta love the anti-pc swagger that takes......I love that guys grit.
Good luck applying that tidbit from Mike. LOL
A good marriage, like a rusty starter, just needs a team who'll work at it. Like a boat be patient and don't over react when she's being cranky. If all else fails pour some rum down her and see if it lights her fire. It usually works for me
Congratulations and safe boating.
I'd buy a new motor.. you'll likely find the costs durn similar. EBay or Amazon have amazing selections at great prices once you drill deep enough to find them!!
ok, 210am st Louis time, soon to be step daughter and I went to boat after I got off work at 11 and she tormented me with dumb knock knock jokes, I tormented her with my country music and put the starter in. IT WORKS whew...... Still going to replace the brushes when I can find them. Actually with the battery and the clean brushes, the boat starts easier than it ever has, and the battery is charging at 14.5 volts, before I cleaned ALL the terminals the best I could get was 13.8 on the digital VOM. so Im thinking this was a twofer. Fixed the starter and gained some charging power.
This is my second time around, the first time I was young and dumb. Now Im older and wiser. I know the magical two words to make a women love me.... you youngins listen to these words, they have to be said in the proper order with the proper inflection. If said correctly you can get them to do anything that you want them to do, they are
YES DEAR
so any idea where I can get the brushes for the starter?
Steve