jammed new starter

[romontano]

Hello all, I installed a new starter 1 month ago, on my 92 evinrude v4 90 and all was well until fathers day on the water and I needed to call for a tow....not fun. Seems the starter bendix gear is jammed in the up position, up tight against the fly wheel. I can spin the flywheel, with some effort of course, and the starter rotates but wont retract. If I turn the key to start the starter wont turn, and it sounds like a dead battery even though I know thats not the case. To add insult to injury with my many attempts to start it on the water i blew the fuse to the control box and had to lift the motor manually to trailer it home. Anyway, could I be dealing with a faulty starter? its as if the starter was mounted too high even though there is no adjustment. Ill remove it today but Im just throwing this out there to see if bad new starters are usual. Thanks, R.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: jammed new starter

if the starter worked before, then jammed, i would say weak electrical power. were you using accessories, radio etc?

you have 18 Y/O battery cables on that motor. they deteriorate from the inside - out. the starter is getting enough power to throw the bendix, but not turn the motor, thus the jamb, which can be tedious to undo, as you learned.
very common problem i make a lot of money from.

 

[romontano]

Re: jammed new starter

Thats a good thought. I wasnt using radios but the bilge had been pumping regularly. Also, I have had intermittent issues where I knew I had a charged battery, but when I would turn the starter I would get a brief hesitation as if the battery had no juice. Sounds like new cables might be a fix. When I remove the starter to deal with it being jammed i guess Ill know whether thats no good by seeing if it spins freely, but I think your suggestion has put me on the right track. Thanks, especially for a quick reply before work...R.