Force 120 Eats Starters Like Jelly Beans

[austinsbop]

I have a Force 120 the decal says Force by Mercury Marine. I think it is a 1998 model. It runs great and is quite and smooth enough to troll. However it eats starters like candy.
The Bendix or gear on top of the starter pops up into the fly wheel and starts the motor but apparently the bendix does not retract after the motor starts. Therefore the starter turns with the motor. They don't last long turning that fast.
I had an online rebuilder of starters tell me I had the wrong starter and they sent me "the right one" it lasted two outings. It likely started the motor not more than 10 times. Same thing happened.
WHAT IS UP WITH THIS? I watch the flywheel as it turns and I cannot see any irregularities.

 

[proy82862]

Re: Force 120 Eats Starters Like Jelly Beans

you can check to see if starter mateing surface is worn and may need to be shimed

 

[TwoFish]

Re: Force 120 Eats Starters Like Jelly Beans

Its hard to know without seeing what is happening but I doubt that the pinion gear is staying up and engaged on the flywheel. The spline on starter can rust and prevent the pinion gear from dropping but this is not likely on a new starter. IT would make a hell of a noise as you started revving the motor and I think you would notice. Easy to see if the run the motor with the top cowling off.

Two things possibilities I can think of are cheap starters or low current to the starter.

With the cheap starters I?m only going on what I have heard on this forum about the quality of some of the cheaper starters. Hopefully someone with first hand experience can comment.

The starter needs a good current to make it work efficiently. If it is supplied with a low current it heats up rather than turning properly and this will burn it out. Make sure your main wires and battery are in good condition.

Have you pulled one of the starters apart to see what has failed?

Are you sure that the starter is the problem? Other problems can cause the starter to not work.

 

[fucawi]

Re: Force 120 Eats Starters Like Jelly Beans

IF it is the pinion not comming out of mesh then the only reason it can be doing that is because the thread inside the inertia drive mechanism is 1/ rusted 2 / been oiled or greased. The spring at the top is an anti rattle spring not a return spring.....Wash it all in parafin not petrol and it should move free up and down if you spin it with your hand ....If it has stuck in mesh then it will have been over speeded and all the commutator will be blown apart ....photos photos .....low current and all that is crap ...when the engine starts it its spun at 10 times engine speed and the pinion is wound out of mesh ...provided you took your finger off the starter....is the solenoid sticking in ?

 

[JB]

Re: Force 120 Eats Starters Like Jelly Beans

I think Fucawi's ideas sound very good, particularly the suggestion that the solenoid may not be releasing, keeping the Bendix forced into the flywheel. Series wound DC motors like the starter can be easily be overspeeded and destroyed if the load doesn't hold it back.

I also wonder if there is an alignment or tooth profile problem between the Bendix shaft and the starter ring on the flywheel.

It seems unlikely that sequential starters would all have the same fault, so what is common to all of the failures is the solenoid and alignment of the starter mount and the ring gear on the flywheel and possibly the match of the ring gear tooth profile with the Bendix tooth profile.

You could be putting the wrong starters on there or it could have the wrong flywheel.

First, replace the solenoid. Then, if that doesn't fix it, explore problems with the flywheel/Bendix match.

Good luck.

 

[JB]

Re: Force 120 Eats Starters Like Jelly Beans

ARGH!! This is an excellent example of why we have forbidden replies or hijacks of old, dead threads. Three helpers (self included) have wasted. . .I say again WASTED. . .considerable time trying to solve a TWO YEAR OLD, DEAD question because we didn't see the OP date.

Proy82862, We encourage the use of the SEARCH function, but strongly discourage replies to dead topics.

Thank you for your future cooperation.

 

[fucawi]

Re: Force 120 Eats Starters Like Jelly Beans

very true JB....and please in future do not refer to the bendix ..thats a manufacturer ..the gear is called the pinion and the drive is an Inertia Drive .