Details of how to replace Volvo 2030C starter motor

[WalshamUK]

Over the past few years, I have received a lot of help in here. This is my attempt to give something back.

I have a Beneteau Oceanis 361, with a Volvo Penta 2030C engine. For the past few seasons I have had an intermittent fault where the starter motor will not fire up the engine; nothing happens, silence. After half an hour or so, the fault mysteriously cures itself so trying to find the fault proved hopeless. Recently the fault has become a hard fault, and using a digital voltmeter, I diagnosed that the fault lay within the starter itself, the external electrics worked OK. The boat is 17 years old, it's probably the original starter motor, so I decided to fit a new starter motor. This went well and cured the fault completely.

However removing the old starter is somewhat tricky, and the detailed instructions below are an explanation of how to replace the starter motor yourself. Some of the tools that are needed are surprising. I did all this single-handed, but having someone to help is definitely a bonus (as always!). It took me several days to figure out what to do, I hope that this message will help people to replace their starter in a much shorter period of time. As ever, read through to the end of my text before you commence work.

I am not a mechanic, there are no guarantees that the following will work for your boat. But it might just prompt an idea or two.

Here's what to do ...

Rig up torch lights in the engine compartment (boat batteries will not be available)
Turn off all AC mains switches, and turn off all battery switches
Remove all leads from the batteries – THIS IS IMPORTANT
Place a towel over the batteries to stop any dropped spanners shorting out a battery
Store the battery leads safely, so that nothing shorts out during battery lead re-attachment
Take photos of the starter and all engine bits around it, especially the wires/terminals
Remove the lid of relay box attached to aft/port side of engine, store the 3 screws safely
Unscrew relay box from engine and leave it floating, the lower nut is difficult to get to.
Note the sequence in which the 3 wires are attached to the front of the starter
Unscrew the nut holding the 3 wires on the front of the starter; leave the 3 wires dangling
Remove the spade terminal going to the solenoid; this is difficult, easy to break. BE GENTLE
Move the relay box aside to allow access to the lower bolt holding the starter
You need 2 x 14mm ring spanners, one to hold the lower bolt head, one to loosen the nut.
Loosen the lower bolt's nut until it can be turned with finger pressure. THIS WILL BE STIFF
Need 14mm socket + 9 inch extension + 6 inch extension + handle – Amazing but true !!
Insert this long tool from the front of the engine so that the upper bolt head cannot rotate
Wedge the handle of the long tool to prevent it rotating
Move the relay box aside to allow access to the upper bolt holding the starter
Use a 14mm ring spanner to remove the upper nut + washer
Carefully withdraw the long tool from the engine, the upper bolt should come with it
Working from aft, hold the starter in place by hand, remove lower nut + washer, then the bolt

The old starter motor is now free to be removed, your hand is holding it in place.

Persuade the starter to come out towards the rear of the engine – IT’S A TIGHT FIT
Take photos of the old starter and the hole in the engine where the starter attaches
Take photos of the new starter in comparison to the old starter - CHECK THEY ARE IDENTICAL

Replacement is merely the reversal of the above process
Both bolts holding the starter have the bolt head at the front of the engine

Working from aft. move the new starter into position (NOT EASY) then insert the lower bolt
The starter should stay in position (roughly)
Carefully attach the washer + nut to the lower bolt; only finger tight
Carefully insert the long tool from the front of the engine with the upper bolt+washer in it
Gently wiggle the long tool so the bolt goes through the engine mount hole – THIS IS DIFFICULT
This wiggling process may require the starter to be slightly rotated so the holes all line up
When the upper bolt is through, attach the washer+nut to the bolt; only finger tight
Using the same tools as before, tighten the bolts alternately until the starter is firmly in place
Re-attach the relay box on the side wall of the engine, this sounds easy but it isn't
Using emery paper, lightly clean/abrade the electrical contacts of the 3 wires to the starter
Re-attach the 3 wires to the screw post on the starter (remember the sequence, fit the washers)
Re-attach the spade terminal wire – THIS IS VERY FIDDLY AND MAY HAVE TO BE DONE BLIND

Make sure all tools/equipment are moved clear of the engine
Have a long think, have you missed anything ?
Thoroughly inspect everything that you have done, especially checking for shorting wires
Carefully re-attach the battery leads, turn the battery power on, check battery power is OK
Have another think, and inspect everything once again
Fingers crossed, start the engine
My engine started first time and the starter now sounds like a sewing machine
If all is OK, spray paint the new starter motor


I hope the above helps somebody replace their engine's starter motor. All improvements/thoughts are welcomed.

Keith Jackson

 

[Heckler]

Over the past few years, I have received a lot of help in here. This is my attempt to give something back.

I have a Beneteau Oceanis 361, with a Volvo Penta 2030C engine. For the past few seasons I have had an intermittent fault where the starter motor will not fire up the engine; nothing happens, silence. After half an hour or so, the fault mysteriously cures itself so trying to find the fault proved hopeless. Recently the fault has become a hard fault, and using a digital voltmeter, I diagnosed that the fault lay within the starter itself, the external electrics worked OK. The boat is 17 years old, it's probably the original starter motor, so I decided to fit a new starter motor. This went well and cured the fault completely.

However removing the old starter is somewhat tricky, and the detailed instructions below are an explanation of how to replace the starter motor yourself. Some of the tools that are needed are surprising. I did all this single-handed, but having someone to help is definitely a bonus (as always!). It took me several days to figure out what to do, I hope that this message will help people to replace their starter in a much shorter period of time. As ever, read through to the end of my text before you commence work.

I am not a mechanic, there are no guarantees that the following will work for your boat. But it might just prompt an idea or two.

Here's what to do ...

Rig up torch lights in the engine compartment (boat batteries will not be available)
Turn off all AC mains switches, and turn off all battery switches
Remove all leads from the batteries – THIS IS IMPORTANT
Place a towel over the batteries to stop any dropped spanners shorting out a battery
Store the battery leads safely, so that nothing shorts out during battery lead re-attachment
Take photos of the starter and all engine bits around it, especially the wires/terminals
Remove the lid of relay box attached to aft/port side of engine, store the 3 screws safely
Unscrew relay box from engine and leave it floating, the lower nut is difficult to get to.
Note the sequence in which the 3 wires are attached to the front of the starter
Unscrew the nut holding the 3 wires on the front of the starter; leave the 3 wires dangling
Remove the spade terminal going to the solenoid; this is difficult, easy to break. BE GENTLE
Move the relay box aside to allow access to the lower bolt holding the starter
You need 2 x 14mm ring spanners, one to hold the lower bolt head, one to loosen the nut.
Loosen the lower bolt's nut until it can be turned with finger pressure. THIS WILL BE STIFF
Need 14mm socket + 9 inch extension + 6 inch extension + handle – Amazing but true !!
Insert this long tool from the front of the engine so that the upper bolt head cannot rotate
Wedge the handle of the long tool to prevent it rotating
Move the relay box aside to allow access to the upper bolt holding the starter
Use a 14mm ring spanner to remove the upper nut + washer
Carefully withdraw the long tool from the engine, the upper bolt should come with it
Working from aft, hold the starter in place by hand, remove lower nut + washer, then the bolt

The old starter motor is now free to be removed, your hand is holding it in place.

Persuade the starter to come out towards the rear of the engine – IT’S A TIGHT FIT
Take photos of the old starter and the hole in the engine where the starter attaches
Take photos of the new starter in comparison to the old starter - CHECK THEY ARE IDENTICAL

Replacement is merely the reversal of the above process
Both bolts holding the starter have the bolt head at the front of the engine

Working from aft. move the new starter into position (NOT EASY) then insert the lower bolt
The starter should stay in position (roughly)
Carefully attach the washer + nut to the lower bolt; only finger tight
Carefully insert the long tool from the front of the engine with the upper bolt+washer in it
Gently wiggle the long tool so the bolt goes through the engine mount hole – THIS IS DIFFICULT
This wiggling process may require the starter to be slightly rotated so the holes all line up
When the upper bolt is through, attach the washer+nut to the bolt; only finger tight
Using the same tools as before, tighten the bolts alternately until the starter is firmly in place
Re-attach the relay box on the side wall of the engine, this sounds easy but it isn't
Using emery paper, lightly clean/abrade the electrical contacts of the 3 wires to the starter
Re-attach the 3 wires to the screw post on the starter (remember the sequence, fit the washers)
Re-attach the spade terminal wire – THIS IS VERY FIDDLY AND MAY HAVE TO BE DONE BLIND

Make sure all tools/equipment are moved clear of the engine
Have a long think, have you missed anything ?
Thoroughly inspect everything that you have done, especially checking for shorting wires
Carefully re-attach the battery leads, turn the battery power on, check battery power is OK
Have another think, and inspect everything once again
Fingers crossed, start the engine
My engine started first time and the starter now sounds like a sewing machine
If all is OK, spray paint the new starter motor


I hope the above helps somebody replace their engine's starter motor. All improvements/thoughts are welcomed.

Keith Jackson

Take some decent pics in the timeline that you describe, polish the words a bit and send to the editor of PBO, he might pay you and print it!
Stu

 

[WalshamUK]

If somebody from PBO made me an offer then I would indeed consider editing the text into an article.

Keith Jackson

 

[vyv_cox]

If somebody from PBO made me an offer then I would indeed consider editing the text into an article.

Keith Jackson

Unfortunately that's not how it works in the yachting press, although I believe it does in some larger circulation mags where known authors are contracted to write about something or somewhere. You can usually spot them - full of flowery language with most of the information apparently pulled out of brochures. As Stu says, you submit it and if they like it they will print it.

On your IT'S A TIGHT FIT operation, it was always well known that the starter motor would not come past the chassis of an MGB unless the engine was heaved over with a large baulk of timber.

 

[AndrewB]

Unfortunately that's not how it works in the yachting press, although I believe it does in some larger circulation mags where known authors are contracted to write about something or somewhere. You can usually spot them - full of flowery language with most of the information apparently pulled out of brochures. As Stu says, you submit it and if they like it they will print it.

I've had a couple of pieces about maintenance jobs published in PBO. They like PLENTY of photos, so they have a choice. So its a pity you didn't think about this when you set out, but maybe you could mock something up - or do the whole job again! If they decide to take your piece, payment is per photo and text - better for the photos in my view. However it is really only pin-money, you will be doing it mainly for the glory.

 

[harry potter]

Brilliant bit of timing! Half an hour on the Cowes fuel pontoon, then starts miraculously. That is the last time, ceased becoming a joke ages ago. Have 5 stars!

 

[WalshamUK]

Many thanks for the 5 stars !!

It's interesting that your motor "starts miraculously" after half an hour. That is EXACTLY the symptoms that my starter motor displayed before I replaced it. I'm unsure from your message if you are going to replace your starter motor, or you have already replaced it.

If you have not already done the work, before commencing I would check with a DVM that 12 volts (or thereabouts) is appearing at the wire that fires the solenoid attached to the starer motor when the start button is pressed. If yes then the fault probably lies within the starter+solenoid, if no then the problem probably lies in the relays/wiring further upstream. Take great care with this test, undo the batteries before you try to attach the DVM because with batteries attached - a) the motor could start when you don't expect it to, b) uninsulated terminals are used on the starter motor and it is easy to short the battery to earth (the engine body).

Keith

 

[Tomahawk]

I had all sorts of fun and games with my starter a few weeks back. (Yanmar)
Would not start.... or do anything..
by passed the starter switch on the panel..
Checked voltages and 12v everywhere I need power.
Took it out.. tested it on the bench with jump leads it worked.
Put it back .. it stopped working.

Try as I might I couldn't see the problem.
Eventually I started checking every lead and connection all the way through the circuit.

The culprit was an ever so slightly loose connection on the isolator switch. It was good enough to give a 12v reading without load, but would not handle the full current of the starter.

My lesson ended with a well enjoyed beer