not a rinker, but insight would be great!!

212rowboat

a friend of mine just picked up a 20' bow rider on barter, and for installing an a/c in an older widow's house.  Her husband died a few years ago and it has sat since.. 

it has a 45 total hours on it.  a volvo penta 5.0gi.  

the starter won't turn.  There is a solenoid behind the breaker button on the front of the starboard side riser.  It is fine.. he ran straight to the starter, and it will push out and engage, but it won't turn the engine even a little.  I pulled the plugs out and it still won't turn the engine even a bit... it's most likely the starter itself, right?  Or, is there something else about these volvo's that needs attention?  Battery is brand new 850 csa.  

thoughts?  

chamberb

Can you give a bit more info about what happens when you turn the key. What do you hear etc. If you put a bar on the crankshaft can you turn the engine by hand. 

Michael T

Checked ground, they're notorious for freezing when under volted/amped. Has he put a meter on it? If yes to all I'm thinking the starter has frozen-up due to lack of use. 

212rowboat

the starter kicks out but stops butt cold... the solenoid atop the starter gets hot, but the starter itself doesn't.  I tapped the starter with a ratchet extension and it allowed more of an engagement than before, but not as much as obviously required.

the grounds are questionable... I assumed he'd checked that.  I'll give them a look.  

the sound is def the starter trying to engage.  it just doesn't...   

212rowboat

oh- was going to turn engine by hand, but this volvo has some sort of bracket across the front of the crank pulley, and hides the bolt... ain't gonna happen... can't see where it attaches to the block, but it def goes to the starboard side of the engine. 

Michael T

I figured you had tried to turn it by hand to rule out "frozen" pistons and thus the engine itself. You mention the top of the solenoid gets hot, that's not good - sounds like a short to me.

P.S. I know you would do this but has your buddy put a meter on that starter to see if it is going to short/ground when being cranked?

212rowboat

it's def the starter... one inbound to replace... pulled it and jumped it- dead as a door nail... 

why are door nails dead?  were they ever alive to begin with?

chamberb

Glad you solved it!! 

NavyCTRC

212,

Door nails...this is a saying that my Dad has used for decades..dead as a door nail. Your post got me thinking about it as I have now started using many of the same terminology I grew up with.  Turns out, according to Google, a nail used to be considered "dead" when it was hammered through two boards and the protruding tip of the nail was bent over, hammered flat into the board to prevent the two boards from separating. The rest of it has to do with nailing head boards over doors and doesn't make too much sense.  At least dead nails now makes sense.   I tried.