starter drive kicks out 73 115hp johnson

[bansheetaz]

when i crank it over it cranks fine till the engine fires and it kicks the starter gear out which will keep spinning until you let off the key. i have to crank several times until the engine will keep running on its own. i will admit the engine is a hair cold blooded but how can i keep the starter engaged until the engine is running? is it a problem with timing? the engine runs fantastic and idles like a dream when warmed up. thanks for any help guys.

 

[JUSTINTIME]

Re: starter drive kicks out 73 115hp johnson

lube up the bendix on the starter

 

[Walker]

Re: starter drive kicks out 73 115hp johnson

What you describe happens on a lot of motors. It actually has nothing to do with your starter. When the engine pops it momentarily spins faster than the starter and kicks the bendix out of the flywheel teeth. I suggest a tune-up or try a different choke/crank/idle lever sequence and see what happens.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: starter drive kicks out 73 115hp johnson

i suggest check all the electrical connections, battery cables both ends, don't look at them , clean them also unplug the big red plug and clean. dirty connection and deteriorating cables cause a voltage drop, and the starter does not spin as fast as it need to.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: starter drive kicks out 73 115hp johnson

Make sure the battery is up to snuff as well. Have it load tested. If it is not capable of spinning the starter fast enough the bendix will drop out prematurely. Don't just lub the starter shaft, clean it thoroughly first. They use a very light spray lub like Tri-Flo. Heavier oils get thick and hinder bendix movement.

 

[teslaman]

Re: starter drive kicks out 73 115hp johnson

Its rare, but this has happened with my 73 115hp also. Sometimes the pinion gear gets stuck. I plan to clean the shaft if the starting motor and apply some oil. A few months ago I purchased a new pinion gear but never installed it.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: starter drive kicks out 73 115hp johnson

I think there's a lot of correct answers here. Walker is correct. When the engine pops, or fires, it should be starting. If it's firing and not starting, there's a problem with the starting method, or tuning.

Whenever the key is turned to "start", the bendix should either engage the flywheel, or make that terrible sound like when hitting the starter when the engine is running. If it's not, the bendix needs some attention as mentioned.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: starter drive kicks out 73 115hp johnson

Low compression on one cylinder can cause it too....