A starter has only one job, To start the engine. It can be a nightmare for many who packed all the things and traveled 20 miles to the lake to have fun (boating), and all of a sudden, the boat engine won’t start due to a bad starter. So, what are the symptoms of a bad boat starter?
The Symptoms of a bad boat starter are either boat won’t start (starts after turning the key multiple times), gives grinding noise, or buzzing noise like an alarm clock while starting the boat motor. However, some other elements also pose similar signs, but the starter could likely be the culprit.
By turning the ignition key, the battery sends power to the solenoid (fancy name for a replay). Solenoid sends power to the starter motor to spin and then, in turn, spinning the flywheel. That, in turn, spins the crankshaft since the flywheel is bolted and fixed to the crankshaft.
Once the crankshaft spins, the combustion begins and will continue to run the engine without the need for a starter. The whole process won’t happen with a bad starter, making a boat not to start. OK, relax, a bit less (no) technical stuff from now on. That being said, we will now see the symptoms of the bad boat starter in a detailed way.
Related post – Boat Won’t Start And Just Clicks? Check this article to know why sometimes you hear a clicking noise while starting the boat and some easy ways to troubleshoot it.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Bad Boat Starter?
Buzzing Noise While Starting The Engine
When you hear a buzzing noise like an alarm clock near the starter while starting the engine, it indicates a bad starter. A whirring, grinding, or even high-pitched noises are the usual sounds of a bad starter.
The buzzing noise is a result of a low electrical current flowing to the starter motor. This means that electrical power is getting to the starter but not enough to make it actuate and engage with the flywheel.
If it’s a louder grinding sound, the teeth on the flywheel or starter gear are most likely worn/broken, and so the starter gear is slipping on the flywheel teeth, indicating us to fix something.
Boat Won’t Start At All
By turning the ignition key, the battery sends power to the solenoid (fancy name for a replay). Solenoid sends power to the starter motor to spin and then, in turn, spinning the flywheel. That, in turn, spins the crankshaft since the flywheel is bolted and fixed to the crankshaft.
Once the crankshaft spins, the combustion begins and will continue to run the engine without the need for a starter. The whole process won’t happen with a bad starter, making a boat not to start. However, a bad battery can also make a boat not start, so you need to look at all other problems as well that are discussed below.
TIP – Don’t use a car starter in your boat. They may look the same, but they don’t have the shielding necessary for marine use. In fact, the starter for a car looks exactly the same as the one you just removed from your marine engine.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that an automotive starter will set well onto your marine engine. A marine-approved starter has better seals and gaskets to keep water out. It also contains more corrosive-resistant materials, which a car starter will not have.
Troubleshooting The Bad Boat Starter Problem
1. Some Of The Basic Actions To Do First
First things first, there are some basic actions you can do yourself so that you can fix the problem right away within minutes without needing an expert or taking the boat near the mechanic.
Tap The Starter And Check The Working
The starter motor will have brushes made of copper and carbon alloy, which are in housings on the endplate of the starter. Most starter motors have to be removed and partly dismantled to inspect or replace brushes.
These brushes wear out, which results in inadequate electrical contact. By gently tapping on the back of the starter with the rubber hammer or any, the brushes can be knocked back into place so they can make contact one more time.
However, if you find yourself having to do this to start the boat, book a starter service (replace the starter on your boat) because eventually, this method will not work. It can occur again at an inappropriate time (in the waters while boating or at the launch).
2. Check All The Wires & Connections (Clean Them If Needed)
Wires are crucial; they carry the power from the battery to the starter, making your boat engine work. If any of the wire connections are bad or loose, the starter will not get the required power. If no ample power means it won’t start the starter motor, and it won’t crank the engine.
Similarly, corroded wires will not start your boat, and they will not charge the battery properly while running. Too much corrosion build-up will hinder the delivery of power from your battery to the rest of your boat, which means it can prevent your boat from starting.
Not a simple task. Need some good understanding of the whole layout to put the wires back in. So, before you start to reach down to the starter, REMOVE both BIG cables connected to the battery. Mark the cables so you know where to put them back. Similarly, do it for other wires as well.
The ground is also crucial. Check the connections from the ground to the block, clean or tight the connections if necessary. A bad ground will not start the engine, and it could be a simple corroded wire that needs a small rinse.
So, check the overall connections from the battery to the solenoid then to the starter. Might want to take them apart, clean them, and put them together using “grease” designed to keep out air to inhibit corrosion, then you will be good to go.
3. Check The Battery Condition
The battery is the device that starts your boat, and if the battery is dead (discharged), it will not send the required power to the starter, and it won’t start the engine. If you have a multimeter, set it in DC to 20V and check the voltage, it should read around 12 volts or more. If it is lower than that, it needs to be recharged.
After recharging the battery, recheck the voltage. If the voltage is less than 12.6, replace the battery. Your battery could be causing the problem overall. So, check the battery before the wire connections. Then check all the battery terminals and make them clean and tighten the connections if needed.
If the battery worked after a recharge, check the alternator once. When the alternator stops putting out charging voltage, the battery will keep the electricals onboard running until it is discharged. If your boat battery is failing quite often, check the alternator condition.
A voltage test is a good and quick reference but not the proper way to check batteries. A bad battery can still put out 12.6 volts but not for very long at all. It needs to be load tested to get precise answers. Load testing the battery will clearly give all the insights, and from that, you can decide.
Related post – How To Tell If Boat Battery Is Bad? Check this article to know more about properly testing (voltage and load testing) a boat battery before just replacing it unnecessarily.
How To Test For A Bad Boat Starter?
You can easily test the starter condition on the boat by taking the battery power past the solenoid and straight to the starter. If the boat engine starts, the starter is working well, but the solenoid is the real culprit; if the boat engine didn’t start, the starter is probably bad.
From the solenoid, there will be a thick red wire going to the starter. Remove the red battery cable from its terminal, or use a solid jumper and ‘touch’ the output from the solenoid to the starter. Bypass the starter cables with booster cables and see if the engine starts.
By taking the battery power past the solenoid and straight to the starter, will show if the starter is working or not. If the engine starts, it indicates that the starter is working fine and the solenoid is not working since we bypassed the current from the battery to the starter with the booster cable.
Even you can check the voltage drop between the battery and the starter. If the voltage drop is significant, something is preventing the required power to the starter from starting the engine.
Take a look at this very short and helpful video on how to test whether the starter is bad or the solenoid is bad.
If the engine still didn’t start, now it’s time to go near the mechanic. Sometimes you might go near a mechanic for a small loose connection if you didn’t check those basic things, so try all those things prior and go near the mechanic if your boat didn’t start.
The Final Thoughts
The Signs of a bad boat starter are either boat won’t start at all (starts after turning the keys multiple times), gives grinding noise, or buzzing noise like an alarm clock while starting the boat motor. If you see any one of those symptoms, a starter inspection is needed.
By turning the ignition key, the battery sends power to the solenoid (fancy name for a replay). Solenoid sends power to the starter motor to spin and then, in turn, spinning the flywheel. That, in turn, spins the crankshaft since the flywheel is bolted and fixed to the crankshaft.
Once the crankshaft spins, the combustion begins and will continue to run the engine without the need for a starter. The whole process won’t happen with a bad starter, making a boat not to start.
Even if there is a restriction in the flow due to bad or loose wire connections, the starter won’t get the required power, which will not start the engine. So check all the wire connections and battery properly before replacing the solenoid.