Starter won't engage the engine.
 

Hello everyone,
I have a 1994 Z200 Tarlari with a Mercruiser alpha one 4.3LX/V6 Engine. I just bought a brand new starter, the starter turn but it won't engage the flywheel. I took off the spark plugs and try to turn it at the crane shaft, it turn fine, then i try to start it with the key, the engine turn fine too...but when i put back the spark plugs , I can hear the starter spins but its not engaging the fly wheel. It was doing the samething with the old starter, so i thought it was bad and replace it with a new one.

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

Check all your high current wires (red and black) from the starter back to the battery positive and from the engine block back to the battery negative terminal. If the starter will engage without the plugs installed but will not when the plugs are put back in, the only difference is the compression of the engine causing a higher current demand on the starter motor. If you have corrosion on any of these connections it will cause a voltage drop which will cause the starter solenoid to drop out. Get a wire brush attachment for a cordless drill, it will make life easier.

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

Thanks...i will try it out tomorrow.

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

sounds like a bad solenoid, did you check that

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

That's what i thought, so i bought a brand new starter, but it still doing the samething. I about to go clean the connections as Steve said.

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

Not sure of your engine but my 5.7 has an external solenoid on top of the intake manifold.
I had to replace mine this year.
It's easy to test if you have a voltmeter.

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

If the starter is turning but not engaging with the flywheel, then the connections are not the problem... sounds like you may have some bad teeth on your flywheel. If you take the starter off, you should be able to see if the teeth are jacked up. You may have to have one of those little mirrors and a flashlight to see it. If they are jacked, the flywheel ring gear can be replaced fairly easily. Just pull the engine, pull off the bellhousing, take off the flywheel. Then using a punch, drive off the old one. to install the new one, put the flywheel in the freezer for a couple of hours, and the ring gear in the oven for about 30 min. stack them together and let the temperatures come back.... they will stick solid! Then reinstall everything. I had to do this to mine last year.

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

Wow, you make that sound so easy

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

I cleaned all the connection, took the new starter out and check the flywheel...All the teeth are there in good condition. The only thing i can think of is that the new starter is bad or like Voodoo said, i might have a bad external solenoid. How do you test if the external solenoid is bad? I put a meter on it and saw 12V on the yellow and red wire and 12V on the purple wire when the key is turn. I try to jump start it at the external solenoid too and it doing exact samething as with the key.
I going back to return the starter and get another one just to make sure its not a bad starter they gave me.

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

Correction...i jumped the red/white to the Yellow/red wire on the external Solenoid and it doing the samething as if i was doing with the key...just spin but not engage. How do you test to see if the external solenoid is bad?

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

If the starter is good, I agree with Steve. Do you by chance have a battery disconnect switch? If you do, did you remove it also and check it for corrosion or bad connections.
Good Luck
Dan

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

Well, i took the starter off and checked the teeth on the fly wheek AGAIN! all are there without any missing or broken. I put in another starter, replaced new external solenoid on top of the intake manifold, put everything back nice and tight, Charged the battery to full, turn the key and it does the samething.... Starter spin like crazy but nothing move on the pulley/crane shaft.:confused:
I think its time to take it to a Marinia shop and have them take a look.:shakehead:

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

If I understand the symptoms correctly (the starter spins but does not engage the gear on the flywheel) is it a possibility that your starter is spinning in reverse. The starter gear would not kick out if the starter is spinning in reverse. This would happen if you had your battery cables reversed on the battery terminals. This is a long shot but it has happened before.

Re: Starter won't engage the engine.
 

has to be the battery cables are backwards