Starter Motor BENDIX gear does not rise

[Splash]

THansk Noelm.

I will clean out the the grease from the shaft and apply some spray...

SPlash

[mattyd]

Hey Splash. Sorry to bump an old thread but I've got the same problem with my 2006 ETEC 90 that's started in the last few months.

At first it would take 2-3 turns of the key to get the engine to crank, now it's 5-10!

Upon closer inspection I noticed that when engine fails to start, the bendix just spins relatively slowly. But when it does crank it spins up very fast and starts immediately.

We've given it a small clean of excess grease around the collar, so my next step will be to check battery and starter motor terminals and leads.

I was interested to know what fixed yours in the end.

I've got it booked in to Downes marine in 2 weeks in case we can't fix it. It's just not worth the risk of getting stuck out somewhere with a dead starter motor.

Matt

[STUIE63]

one other possibility that has not been mentioned is the battery terminal being dirty or not tight or having wingnuts
Stuie

[Stik-ugly]

Just to add I had a similar problem on four stoke 40 mercury and found that it was the solenoid. Because this is a Yammie power head that they have a solenoid mounted separate of the starter on the block

[mattyd]

Looks like I solved my ETEC starter problem simply by re-seating a fuse that sits in it's own grommet near the starter motor.

We did inspect the fuse housing in the trouble shooting phase, but later I noticed that the fuse itself was actually sitting up on an angle slightly ajar.

Have performed 20-30 test starts and been out for 4 days at Tincan Bay without the problem recurring once.