my starter wines

[cdyeaglin]

after fishing for four hours on the the lake I went to start my boat and all I got when I turned the key was a winesound comming from the starter. I tried tapping on the starter with a hammer to no avail so I had to get towed back to my club. Several people have told me that it is definately the starter.I am not to sure because the stater and solenoid are only two months old.I would love it if someone could help or has heard of a starter going bad so quickly.

Thank you

 

[cdyeaglin]

Re: my starter wines

by the way it is a Volvo Penta aq 231 b

 

[Bondo]

Re: my starter wines

Several people have told me that it is definately the starter.I am not to sure because the stater and solenoid are only two months old.I would love it if someone could help or has heard of a starter going bad so quickly.

Ayuh,... Pull it off,+ Check it out....

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: my starter wines

Wow...this post was freaky...the *exact* same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. Volvo Penta, starter about 2 months old, was working fine, out fishing, went to go home at the end of the night, and just a whining sound.

In my case, the small pinion gear in the starter wasn't moving forward to engage the starter. It sounded to me like the new starter simply broke - although you will want to rule out electrical issues too (low voltage from battery, and clean cables/connections throughout). My starter was still under the manufacturer's 1-year warranty, so I sent it back for a new one. I am still waiting for the new one to come in.

Was your starter a Sierra by any chance? Mine was...I'm hoping I just got a bad one and have better luck with the replacement when it arrives. Their customer service was good...I spoke to a technician who said not to bother trying to fix it, and to just send it back. You could try making sure the bendex shaft is free of debris, and try spraying it with WD-40 or something....but even that is debatable. My guess is you will end up sending/taking it back.

Here is my original post from 2 weeks ago which is almost identical to yours - folks had some good info on it:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=350124

Good luck!

 

[cdyeaglin]

Re: my starter wines

here is the update had starter tested and it worked fine on the tester I reinstalled it and it did not work again just whined I am getting frustrated any ideaswhere to go next

 

[arrkerr]

Re: my starter wines

Is your motor frozen? Did you try pulling the plugs and trying to turn it? If there is water in the cylinders no starter is going to be able to turn it over.

 

[cdyeaglin]

Re: my starter wines

motor turns, the fly wheel is also in good shape. Was wondering if maybe my battry didnt have enough amps to kick the bendex in good enough.

 

[arrkerr]

Re: my starter wines

Is it a high-pitched spinning noise, or a wine like its trying to turn but can't?

Sorry but I wasn't sure from your last post - can the starter turn the motor with the plugs out, or are you hand-turning it?

It could be the solenoid not being pushed out, but unless it is actually bad I'd be surprised if its getting enough amps to turn the motor but not the magnet.

You could bench test it in the boat, using your battery, and see if it works. Pretty easy to take the starter our and jump it. Maybe even leave it hooked up and jump the slave solenoid and see if the starter works as it should. Might want to clamp it to something for safety's sake. Could be bad ground or bad wires in the boat, and this might help.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: my starter wines

here is the update had starter tested and it worked fine on the tester I reinstalled it and it did not work again just whined I am getting frustrated any ideaswhere to go next

When they test starters at AutoZone, etc., do they test to see if the bendex is being pushed forward? Or just that the pinion gear spins?

 

[cdyeaglin]

Re: my starter wines

the gear comes out just like it is supposed to and a couple of times you ca hear it try and turn the fly wheel but then it just whines

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: my starter wines

the gear comes out just like it is supposed to and a couple of times you ca hear it try and turn the fly wheel but then it just whines

Even on the tester it wines?

 

[Apollo75]

Re: my starter wines

Want some cheese to go with that wine Had to, Sorry

Check your connections and make sure they are good and the battery is good --- try another battery or get it load tested.

If and only if ---> all the checks were good with the electrical --- get another starter --- shorted armature or field winding.

If the drive gear did not engage the flywheel you would hear the starter spin but it would not whine.


OFM

 

[cdyeaglin]

Re: my starter wines

I am sorry I guess you could say that it spins. When tested every thing works fine the gear kicks out like it is supposed to. I would like to know also if anyone can tell me how to check the amps on my battery.

 

[Apollo75]

Re: my starter wines

Well, if the starter just spins you can't check the battery and connections --- need it under load like cranking the engine ---- then you measure the voltage at the starter main connection --- above 10.5 volts while cranking for 10-seconds and should be closer to 11 volts.

The battey can be checked like above --- or can be checked under a special load device ---- take it to a local parts store --- even Wal-Mart will test it for you.


OFM

 

[cdyeaglin]

Re: my starter wines

thanks for the info I will probably try that tommorrow

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: my starter wines

My 2-month old starter, which did the same thing as yours (worked for 2 months, and then just whinned without engaging fly wheel one night) is now back at the manufacturer. I just called, and they said they would test it and confirm that it is a broken starter before sending me a replacement. I'll let you know what they say.

Please keep me/us posted on your progress as well.

 

[cdyeaglin]

Re: my starter wines

we improvised a load test and it seemed to still work fine I reinstalled the starter and it almost engaged once and the back to the whine Friday the batteries come out and get tested under load at the auto parts store.

 

[Apollo75]

Re: my starter wines

Sorry, not boat mechanic --- there are three drive units I am thinking of right now -- some are centrifugal ---> they spin and throw the drive into the flywheel.

Some have a solenoid on top like a GM and the solenoid through a magnetic field pulls a lever and the drive into contact with the flywheel.

Others have a shoe on top close to the field pole ---> when the starter is engaged the magnetic field pulls the shoe and drive into contact with the flywheel. If the spacing is not correct between the shoe and the starter field pole with these units they will not have enough field strength to pull the shoe down.

OFM

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: my starter wines

cdyeaglin,

I just talked to the manufacturer (Sierra) of my new/broken starter. He said that they tested it on their end, it did fail their test. They are sending me a new one today. He didn't have the specifics of the test, but said that it showed that the pinion gear failed their test.

I'll post another follow-up in a week or so once I get the new starter and get it installed - but it definitely sounds like my problems were due to a starter that failed within its first 2 months of use...

Please let us know how your situation turns out.

 

[sidechoke67]

Re: my starter wines

Just wanted to post a final follow-up. I installed my replacement starter, and my boat started right up. In my case, the problem was the starter.

cdyeaglin, did you ever get your problem resolved?