Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

[legoman67]

Hi, well, i bought 2 rebuilt engines to repower my boat, the old configuration had the starter motors sticking out the front off the shroud. But in my boat they need to be mounted inline along side the engine, the engine has the mounting pattern,but the new starters do not. So i need to use my starters off the old engines(work fine)

Question is, on the new starters its got its own solinoid mounted ontop(seperate cylinder) and then a salve solinoid on the engine, but on my old engines starters there in no solinoid on the starter, just a neg and pos terminals. do i need to mount another solinoid on the engine somewhere? what is the point in having 2 solinoids?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

Ayuh,...

Are these standard Lefthand rotation motors, or Righthanded,..??
And,...
If these are Mercruiser motors,... What are you mounting them too,..??
It doesn't sound like they are going into a Standard Mercruiser outdrive driveline,...

 

[legoman67]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

They are off a crusader(still the GM Smallblock)

and they are going on the merc 350ci

one will be left, and one will be right.

they bolt on fine, its just on the old ones from the engine there is a secondary cylinder with solinoid, and on the crusaider ones there is no secondary cylinder, im just trying to figure out how to wire it.

 

[Don S]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

So, you are changing from a starter as shown in 2 to a starter mounted as shown in 1 correct?
The wiring is easy, but I see the problem that is about to come up. Is one of the engines a counter rotating engine, you will need to get an opposite rotation starter compared to a standard LH rotation engine. You can NOT use the starters off #2 to install in #1. Completely different starters. Rotation is even opposite because the starters are on opposite sides of the flywheel.

 

[legoman67]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

yes Don, i am changing from 2 to 1, and yeah, i have correct direction starters, but as you see in those diagrams, the starters have a secondary cylinder which has 3 bolts for wires, thats how the #2 mount starters are, but the #1 mount ones dont have this additional cylinder, and just have 2 large terminals for power. i am unsure if i need that extra cylinder? if not how do i hook up the 3 wires that go to the starter? do i just tape one off?

I have a large yellow, and large Red that go to the solinoid, and a small brown that goes to the coil, all supposed to attach to the starter. but the starters to mount in pos #1 only have the 2 main terminals, no spot for the brown.

 

[Don S]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

What year are your new engines?

 

[legoman67]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

they are 1978's

Electronics are all post 05.

 

[Don S]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

So, your starters look like this?

Electronics are all post 05.

When you say electronics, do you mean engine electrical and distributor? What ignition system do you have?

 

[legoman67]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

yes the starters i want to put on look like the one above, by electronics i mean alternators, distributers, coils, solinoid on the engine. So i need another solinoid the replace the one on the engine? what was the purpose of the one on the engine previous?

 

[Don S]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

The purpose of the slave solenoid was only there because on long runs of wiring to the helm the start solenoid on the starter requiered too much amperage thru the switch and long runs of wire. Especially after a few years worth of corrosion. The slave solenoid was only a 30A solenoid, mostly because that was the smallest around. Volvo uses relays. You need one capable of of a lot more. Ford start solenoids should work fine since the Ford starters don't have attached solenoids
I sure hope those starters you have a marine starters. That would be my only concern with using them.
If you want to keep the slave solenoid in the system I can draw you a quick diagram. But do need to know if you have a points type ignition or do you have the Thunderbolt 5 ignition used in 2005.

 

[legoman67]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

i do not have thunderbolt, so point type i guess.

thanks for all the help, im still trying learn all this stuff too..

 

[Don S]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

It's kind of a crude drawing, but should explain how to wire it.

 

[legoman67]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

Thanks, that should help, im going to go to a marine mech engine repair shop today and take the starters with me and get this figured out!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

Could reuse or replace the crusader solenoids, or use a marine rated Ford type solenoid
Aside from the starters are the ring gears in the proper place.
inboards with aft mount starters put the ring gear in a different location that engine mounted starters.(I/O Applications)

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Starter changing, solinoid? merc 350

Bt i was thinking the same thing.