Starter bolt not throwing-in.

[sub-bass]

Hi folks, went to start my 7.4l Merc yesterday and couldn't get it to kick - the starter gears were working but the bolt wouldn't throw, it only has about 35-40hrs on it so I'm suprised. I haven't used the boat in 10 days as I've been away, this is the longest time it's sat for the whole summer. tried to tap the case while firing ignition, dried any moisture on terminals, gave then a little free-up to break any corrosion (none really) and also sprayed WD40 into starter gears and it still wouldn't start.
Short of removing starter (is it just the 2 bolts?) to maybe manually advance the gears does anyone have any suggestions?
The usage is generally salt water and in the harbour - ALWAYS flushed of course.

Thanks in advance for all help.

[MOP]

Good chance the bendix is sticking, you need to pull the starter tap the gear to get it loose on the shaft then grease the shaft and energize it a few times to make sure it is free and well lubed. P.S. Disconnect the battery first!

Phil

[Cuda]

MOP has it. Does it just whine and not engage? If so, it's the starter bendix drive. Yup, just two bolts holding it in. I always have more trouble hooking the wires back up than getting the bolts in.

[Donzigo]

I vote for BENDIX, as well. It's not uncomon to have one stick. Doesn't matter how long between uses and fluching is not a factor. What's the age of the engine and starter?

It's not a difficult thing to take a starter off, ACESS to doing the job is difficult. How long since exhaust mainifolds? If you are at three years or 300 hours, you might want to remove the engine and do a complete fresh up of manifolds, starter, alternator and water pump. I'm not trying to spend your money; but, these things do come into play eventually.

[oldandtired]

I am not sure that I understand the question. If you're saying that the starter spins but the drive won't engage, then it is probably the starter drive (bendix). There is always the possibility of a damaged ring gear on the flywheel. It's not very likely but worth checking if the starter drive works properly on the bench. Before I loosen any bolts to the starter, I would check all of the cables to the engine. A bad cable connection or cable can mask itself as a starter issue. Use a voltmeter on the positive cable at the starter while the starter is energized and check your voltage. If it's below 10vdc then look at your positive leads. Make sure that the grounding connections are tight. After the above, I would pull the starter and check it on the bench to make sure the bendix is popping out. If all of the above fails, then a new starter or repairing the old one is in order.

Rene