Water in starter mercruiser 888 (302)

[duped]

Hello, I took my boat out recently and ran into starter troubles. It would turn over very slowly, and smoke sometimes. So I pulled the old one off to get it rebuilt today, and after I broke it free, I noticed quite a bit of water come out of the hole the starter slides into, as well as the starter itself. I'm guessing this water got there via leaky driveshaft / u-joint bellows? Can someone confirm or deny this? I bought a complete kit on ebay just for good measure but I would like to be sure that this is what killed this starter and that I'm not overlooking anything else that could cause a leak near the starter/flexplate. 1973 mercruiser 888 drive, 302 ford v8 engine.

I should add that the boat stays covered, and starter was fine when I ran the engines the day before I took it out.

 

[fuzzybob]

Re: Water in starter mercruiser 888 (302)

My info was wrong!!!

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Water in starter mercruiser 888 (302)

That is incorrect, fuzzybob. Small block Fords don't have water jacket core plugs behind flywheel. The #1 reason for water in flywheel housing is letting the boat fill with water.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Water in starter mercruiser 888 (302)

I'd suspect a leaky drive bellows as well. Plan on replacing all of the bellows and the gimbal bearing, too. It being a 73, it is likely the snap-ring style, so you'll need a solid set of snap-ring pliers to get it out and possibly a slide hammer puller to coax the bearing out.

 

[duped]

Re: Water in starter mercruiser 888 (302)

Alright, pulled drive off today and found some oily water in the u joint bellows, so I guess my suspicions were correct. Gimbal bearing spins good and has very little play, but my kit came with a new one, so Ill replace if i can figure out how...

Just a quick question since everyone here seems to know what they are doing...I'm currently fighting to get the shift cable out of the boat. The clymer is about as clear as mud on how to go about taking the black plastic piece off the engine end of the cable. All I see is a little square brass pin, do i pound that out? And then it should pull out free? Any pointers on that or the bellow replacement process in general will be much appreciated by a first timer! I am aware of the expansion tool being needed...

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Water in starter mercruiser 888 (302)

Why are you removing the shift cable? In any case, do not POUND OUT the square-head as you won't get far since it is a screw. There should be a few allen head? screws which hold the inner cable.

I'm glad you went with replacing the gimbal breaing since it has been introduced to some water. On the bearing replacement, there is a thick snap-ring that holds the bearing/race in. You will need a GOOD set of snap-ring pliers, not the autozone/walmart version (trust me, they'll bend and break). I went with a craftsman model which was just big enough to work, and they have interchangeable tips. The only item of real concern is that you align the hole in the new bearing race with the grease tube so that you can grease it from the outside.

Don't forget to put a little grease on the hinge pins when you put 'em back in.

 

[duped]

Re: Water in starter mercruiser 888 (302)

Hi, I had to remove the cable to get new bellows back on. But I decided to order a new shift cable while I am at it, since I found a spot where the plastic was wore away, and the cable was rusted. I hope this will solve the occasional grinding into gear problems it had. I located the snap ring on the bearing, and I have a fairly large set of craftsman snap ring pliers that should work. Will I still need to get a slide hammer to pull bearing out after this ring is removed?

What started as a simple starter replacement turned into a whole lot more. But I'm certainly happy to be getting everything taken care of now and doing it right. I've tried to cut corners before on this boat and it ended with getting towed in. Never again! Thanks for your inputs.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Water in starter mercruiser 888 (302)

The slide hammer being necessary will depend on whether the bearing will come out easily. You could probably rent one from autozone or similar auto parts store. I needed it for mine, but I believe mine was the original 1976 issue, and it just made it easier. You don't need one to install the new bearing/race though.