[C320-list] Is the starter motor the culprit?

[Guy Smith]

Hey All!

I can relate a story about replacing the starter in my 1999 Jeep Cherokee
that may help in diagnosing problems. I'm assuming that a starter in a
marine environment can be something like a Jeep starter splashing around in
mud and streams...
I had a start go bad at one point in the Jeep and got a replacement,
remanufactured one from Auto Zone. Straight forward replacement. Just
unbolt and bolt the new one in. I ran for a few months and the starter went
bad again! I took it back to Autozone and with a little "persuading" got
another one stating that the remanufacturing was probably done shoddy...
Another few months went by and, sure enough, the starter went bad again. I
took that one back and got my money back (after a little persuading) and
purchased a new beefed up off-road starter online for much more money
thinking this one will never fail. Sure enough, it did! My Son worked for
the Jeep parts place and I asked him to "persuade" the parts manager to
replace the burned out starter. This gent was wise enough though to point
me to the fine print of the installation guide (who reads that?) where it
said that the starter must have at least 12 volts when activated, otherwise
the armature can overheat, fuse and burn.
When I checked the voltage at the starter, it was in the high 11s due to
corrosion at just about all the connections including the grounding
connector on the engine.
I cleaned up all the connections I could trace out and never had a problem
after that. If I woulda checked the voltage after the first starter went, I
woulda saved myself some pain.

Anyway, It might be worth checking the voltage again. Remember that wires
can corrode inside the plastic casing... Even the tinned marine stuff if
moisture and heat work on them.

~g


On Mon, Mar 27, 2023 at 6:10 PM Troy Dunn via C320-list <
c320-list at lists.catalina320.com> wrote:

> Bob,
>
> We have a Yanmar 3GM30F so I don’t have any direct experience with your
> engine.   Having said that, I have never met a starter that was difficult
> to remove or install from the engine.   Getting the starter out of the 320
> is a little more challenging than on most cars due to normal boat yoga
> required.   Although I did recently replace a starter on a German SUV that
> required removing wiring harnesses and the intake manifold to get to,
> so…not every car is simple either I suppose…
>
> The short answer to your question about testing is "probably not".    The
> longer answer is that troubleshooting the starting circuit for the solenoid
> and the motor itself is highly dependent on the installation and engine.
> If the wiring for your starter is anything like the hulls with a yanmar
> installed….suspect the wiring.
>
> FWIW
>
> Troy Dunn
> Hull #514
>