1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

[Jeffro1000]

Hi all,

I have a 1976 70hp Johnson outboard and I am having troubles with the starter (at least as far as I can tell). More often then I'd like the starter will not disengage so the motor won't turn over completely. I'm planning on taking the starter in to be rebuilt, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the inside bolt off to remove the starter. Instead of ruining my ring gear I figured I might as well go the economical route.

Anybody have any tips on how to remove this starter without removing the carbs and the works? Also any body else have a similar issue?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

remove the carbs. also try this before. apply a small amount of grease to the flywheel teeth. and the this; you may not hae a bad starter. just not enough juice to get over the hump.

90% of starter problems are bad connections. remove and clean both ends of the battery cables, so that they are shiney, also the cable from the solenoid to starter. check for nicks in the cables. and make sure the connectors are on the wire good. the cable tend to corrode from the inside out, if nicked, corroded wires, and connections, heat up and cause resistance to the follow of electricity, thus the starter doesn't get enough. you can also take jumper cable pos battery post to large post on starter. with a good connection, the engine should spin. then if the starter is good clean everything and retest. then trouble shoot solenoid. starters can be rebuit at a starter/alternator shop, much cheaper than a new one.

 

[Jeffro1000]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

Thanks for the reply tashasdaddy,

The fly wheel spins fine by hand and when the starter is engaged. The engine will usually turn over but then bog down as soon as I let off the ignition. I've bypassed the solenoid and the starter engages ok. Juice shouldn't be a problem, I inspected all the wires and no nicks or corrosion were found.

I'll try removing the carbs to get the last bolt off instead of taking the whole boat in to get the starter rebuilt. If I remove the carbs am I going to have to buy new seals (given that they are not cracked already) when I put the carbs back on?

Thanks in advance

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

With the air silencer off you'll have access to the third bolt - carbs can stay on. The airbox gaskets can be reused if they're not too chewed up. Use blue loctite on those screws.

I'm not convinced you're describing a starter motor problem either - its just inertia that engages the bendix, spinning the shaft out from under it so to speak which makes it rise on the threaded portion of the shaft, and then when the engine starts, it spins faster than the starter motor shaft, which disengages it by screwing it back down.

Now, if its teeth are getting jammed in the flywheel teeth, could be an alignment problem.........

I'm having a hard time picturing the starter starting the engine then bogging it down by refusing to disengage.....you're sure the engine is actually firing?

is this a recent acquisition that's been like this since you got it, or has it been working ok before now?

 

[Jeffro1000]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

The best way I can explain the engine firing up is that the cylinders fire and then stops when I let off the ignition. When I take off the engine cover after this event the starter is still engaged. I can pull start the motor and it runs great, but it gets to be a pain in the arse (and this can only be done when the starter is disengaged).

The problem I am experiencing just started to happen. More often than not the boat has run great with no issues. I've also had a couple of events where the bendix would not rise when turning the ignition. The bendix would spin, but not rise and engage the flywheel. This problem only happened for a short period of time and was very sporadic. My best guess is that the brushings are worn and are not gripping anymore. If it helps, the bendix won't go down unless I tap it down while turning the flywheel.

Thanks again for the help guys, much appreciated.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

unplug the wiring harness, big red plug, this isolates the controller, you may have an ignition switch problem, that is shorting when you let off the key killing spark. now jump the solenoid and see what happens. i've had several motors do what you are saying, one even with a new starter, it was an electrical problem.

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

thanks for spelling it out - I usually try not to be so dense -

good advice from tashasdad - I guess you know that if the engine starts with the wiring harness unplugged, you'll have to use the manual choke lever to shut it off.

Bendix not engaging - could be unrelated - the starter has to spin up rapidly for the bendix to rise - little bit of corrosion, battery terminal not tight enough, battery insufficiently charged, worn out starter motor will all cause that, and corrosion can cause it intermitently. any excessive voltage drop really. Also the threads under the bendix need a couple drops light oil every now & then, not enough to drip down the shaft into the motor - and not WD40.

 

[Jeffro1000]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

Thanks for the replies, I'll try as you suggested and disconnect the ignition and then by pass the starter. I'll let you know the progress here when I get some time to tinker with it after work.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

[Jeffro1000]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

Well I tried disconnecting the wiring harness for the ignition, bypassing the solenoid, and the starter still stays engaged. The battery still has a good charge and has 1000 MCA's. I really appreciate all the help and advice.

I'm still leaning towards an issue with the starter itself, but I am going to go through and re-test all the wiring going to the motor just in case I've missed something.

Again thanks for all the help!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

have the battery loaded tested at the auto parts store. i had a new 1150 cca battery that was bad.

 

[Jeffro1000]

Re: 1976 70hp Starter not disengaging

Well I went back through all the wiring from the ignition to the motor and found no problems. I took the starter in to a buddies shop and had him rebuild it for me. So far everything is working great, but I'll keep an eye on everything for the time being in case something else was the root of the cause. Thanks for all the help everyone, feels good to have a boat that floats and runs again