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Posted

SOLVED -- see post at bottom of thread

 

=

 

1997 Basstracker Pro17 ft boat with 40hp Tracker motor... I think Tracker motor is a Mercury... sat up for maybe two years. Yeah, not good. I finally just bought a new cranking battery and it's fully charged but I can't get the motor to turn over at all, it just makes a sound, kind of a buzz I suppose you'd call it. Could it be a loose connection? Should I tap on the solenoid or starter? I have seen some amazing successes by tapping, lol.

 

I have water ears hooked up for water supply when I try to crank.

 

Suggestions?

Posted

With power OFF....try turning by hand, on the flywheel there is a place for a start rope in case of emergency, try to turn that engine over..  Even remove the plugs and it shoukd turn by hand with ease...if not, your engine might be tied up.  If the engine turns freely then look at all the electrical connections stsrting at the battery and into the motor as a corroded connection can cause a non start issue.   Gitta see if the engine us free first !!

  • Super User
Posted

Take the cover off the motor and see if the gear on the starter is dropping down to engage the flywheel when you try to start it. If it turns but is not dropping down put a little bit of oil on the gear shaft and move it by hand. I had this same problem with a motor many years ago.

 

Edit: I will add mine was a 98 40HP Tracker Force motor. 

Posted

The gearwheel on the starter was turning slightly and stopping, but it was not completely revolving, so that was the "buzzing" sound I was hearing. I don't hear well, lol. I sprayed with lubricant and now, it spins revolutions. But, it is not engaging the flywheel. When I turn the starter gearwheel by hand, it travels upward slightly as it turns, and I assume that this is so it can engage with the flywheel teeth. Doesn't look like it is "fitting" correctly in the vertical plane to engage with the flywheel teeth but that doesn't make sense that it would be "off" by a mm or three, because it started fine last time and it hasn't gone anywhere to jostle anything around.

 

I moved the flywheel by hand, it's free.

Posted

Have you checked that your battery is fully charged? It should read about 13 maybe 13.5 volts. 

 

Next check to see if you have 13 volts or so at the starter. If it's 12 volts or less it is probably the battery but have a garage do a battery check before you buy a new one they are getting expensive.

 

The problem could then be the starter or the starter switch which is under the motor cover near the starter. It is also possible that there is a wiring problem between the starter (key) switch and the previously mentioned starter switch. Check (carefully) for lose and/or corroded wire connections.

 

In summary there are a lot of things it can be so it might take a while to figure out just don't go throwing money at it willy nilly. This is one of the reasons having the service manual for your specific motor is a good idea. It should walk you through troubleshooting the problem. Make sure you use safe practices there is probably 600+ amps available from your battery that can be a real safety problem if you don't know what you are doing.

  • Like 1
  • Super User
Posted

Try tapping the starter with the handle of a screwdriver and see if it'll engage. 

  • Like 2
Posted

There should be a taper on the teeth of the starter pinion gear to help it engage the flywheel. Is it on upside down ??

  • Super User
Posted
On 6/28/2023 at 3:16 PM, WIGuide said:

Try tapping the starter with the handle of a screwdriver and see if it'll engage. 

Sounds like you owned a 1970s Chrysler product 

  • Haha 2
  • Global Moderator
Posted
6 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

Works a trick for 4-stroke Mercs, too; eh @TnRiver46?

Works for all the cars I’ve ever driven including a Chevy 

Posted

As stated in the OP, it's a new battery and it's fully charged.

 

As for tapping, as I also mentioned... get this... the starter has a decal that says "Do not strike this with a heavy object" or something to that effect, which seem to be warning against tapping on it! Why would they say that?

 

I went to the boat just now, kinda dark in the barn, need to get a light, but I could see the starter but not identify the solenoid. I wonder where it is.

 

The boat has just been sitting since it last started. No travel to jostle something loose. Well, I did move it about a 100 yards to the barn.

Posted

The flywheel turns easy, does the starter turn over ?  Does the bendix engage on the starter ?  Did you check battery coltage...should ve 12.7 volts or above !!    Remove starter and check function and clean connections !!  Until you do these things, we are only guessing !!

  • Super User
Posted

I think in 1997 Tracker Boats were still running Johnson Motors.

The reason it says do not strike the starter is there are permanent magnets inside it an if you crack one, you just bought yourself a new starter.

It sounds like the Bendix is sticking.  Spray everything about it and the shaft good with WD-40.  There are some steel balls inside it that are supposed to kick out and engage it when it starts to spin.  There is also a spiral shaft that makes it move up into the flywheel when it starts spinning and spring the pushes it back out of the flywheel when it stops spinning.  If that spiral shaft is gummed up or that balls inside, it will not engage the flywheel.  I generally take the apart and clean them but it doesn't sound like you have the knowledge to do that, so if you can't get it to engage, you might have to buy a new one.  You should be able to take a screwdriver or something and lift the Bendix up to spray the spiral shaft.

I just had another brain fart.  Double check and make SURE you did not connect the battery cables to the battery backwards.  I don't know how many times I've seen people do that and if you do, the starter spins backwards and in no way will it engage the flywheel spinning backwards.

  • Like 2
Posted
5 hours ago, Way2slow said:

I think in 1997 Tracker Boats were still running Johnson Motors.

The reason it says do not strike the starter is there are permanent magnets inside it an if you crack one, you just bought yourself a new starter.

It sounds like the Bendix is sticking.  Spray everything about it and the shaft good with WD-40.  There are some steel balls inside it that are supposed to kick out and engage it when it starts to spin.  There is also a spiral shaft that makes it move up into the flywheel when it starts spinning and spring the pushes it back out of the flywheel when it stops spinning.  If that spiral shaft is gummed up or that balls inside, it will not engage the flywheel.  I generally take the apart and clean them but it doesn't sound like you have the knowledge to do that, so if you can't get it to engage, you might have to buy a new one.  You should be able to take a screwdriver or something and lift the Bendix up to spray the spiral shaft.

I just had another brain fart.  Double check and make SURE you did not connect the battery cables to the battery backwards.  I don't know how many times I've seen people do that and if you do, the starter spins backwards and in no way will it engage the flywheel spinning backwards.

 

SOLVED -- It didn't look right that there is no large black cable on the negative. The large black cable on the lower right, that was not connected to the negative; connected it and it turns right over. Now to hope I can get it cranked, lol!

 

Disregard the below.

 

Yippee!

 

=

 

Ok, good info from all... say, if I turn the bendix gear by hand, if I turn it clockwise, it spins upward as it revolves, appearing to be how it would engage with the flywheel teeth. Turning it the counter-clockwise, it just spins. Now, when I turn the key to start, the bendix gear spins COUNTER-clockwise, it is NOT traveling upwards as it spins. So, first reaction is that this is the problem, that the cables are on backwards. When I put the cables on there when I got the new battery, I tried to be careful to put them on the same way they were on the old battery. If they are backwards, that's surprising.

 

Below is a pic of my cables. If you know that this looks correct or what should go where, advise, please. TIA!

 

Again, with cables as in the image, the bendix gear does not move upward as it spins.

 

1 - positive terminal

2 - negative terminal

3 - big black cable

4- small red cable

5 - small black cable 1

6 - small black cable 2

7 - master switch, after market

8 - positive cable for troll motor

Tracker motor battery-wiring markedup 1.8mb.jpg

  • Super User
Posted

To explain what caused your problem.  The starter requires a very high current, especially when first starting up.  Leaving that large ground cable off, it was pulling a ground through one of those smaller wires not capable of handing the current needed.  It's like putting a huge resistor in line.  Not getting the initial current needed, the starter would not engage fast enough to kick the Bendix up into the flywheel to engage it.  Had it actually engaged it, it would have probably just stop spinning and possibly caused that small wire to overheat and start smoking, it for sure would not have started, because the motor has to be spinning at a couple hundred rpm for generate enough spark to fire the plugs.

This is why a weak/bad battery may be cranking the motor over, but it won't start, it's not cranking fast enough to generate a spark.  

  • Like 3
  • Super User
Posted

this is one thing that is very much like a car.  

 

glad you figured it out.

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