starter motor burnt out again

[yelbis]

My Yanmar 3gm30 has been hard to start since I purchased her a couple of year back. Done various things following advice from previous threads. I had to change the starter as it decided to go dead on me enroute to France, I purchased a new one as I was advised that it had developed a flat spot and was non serviceable. I tried starting the engine last weekend and initially the battery seemed flat but then the turn over speed picked up and she begun to splutter but not start. next thing I had smoke billowing from the companionway and the awful smell of overheated copper winding.

Can anyone advise if this should occur again as i have only changed the unit within the last six months. the starter is again defunct. I can turn my car over for minutes and it hardly gets warm.

 

[sailorman]

My Yanmar 3gm30 has been hard to start since I purchased her a couple of year back. Done various things following advice from previous threads. I had to change the starter as it decided to go dead on me enroute to France, I purchased a new one as I was advised that it had developed a flat spot and was non serviceable. I tried starting the engine last weekend and initially the battery seemed flat but then the turn over speed picked up and she begun to splutter but not start. next thing I had smoke billowing from the companionway and the awful smell of overheated copper winding.

Can anyone advise if this should occur again as i have only changed the unit within the last six months. the starter is again defunct. I can turn my car over for minutes and it hardly gets warm.

Fullcircle went through a few as well

 

[Sans Bateau]

have you checked the return, the earth lead, from the starter back to the battery? If you have current going to any electric motor, but not enough for it to do its job, the current restricted by poor connections or the cable being too thin, the the motor or cable will just overheat.

I saw this often years ago when I had a garage, I had a good relationship with a local parts shop, monday morning would often see a car which had a new battery and starter, when all it needed was the earth lead connections cleaning up.

 

[mcframe]

have you checked the return, the earth lead, from the starter back to the battery? If you have current going to any electric motor, but not enough for it to do its job, the current restricted by poor connections or the cable being too thin, the the motor or cable will just overheat.

I saw this often years ago when I had a garage, I had a good relationship with a local parts shop, monday morning would often see a car which had a new battery and starter, when all it needed was the earth lead connections cleaning up.

It's common on old Moto Guzzi bikes to run an additional/replacement meaty earth cable to the starter 'cos rust has got to the original connection (fine for sunny dry Italy in the 1970s and 80s).

Failing that, I'd take it out and poke the brushes, then consult a local cheap auto electrician for a recon.

 

[William_H]

Starter motor

As said if a stater motor can not get up speed the current will be huge which can overheat or burn out the starter. So yes do check and even double up the earth wire and check the +ve wiring. However you must be unlucky to burn out a starter through bad wiring.
More likely however is that you have got a bad starter as a replacement. As you say car starters give very little trouble. good luck

 

[Bilgediver]

My Yanmar 3gm30 has been hard to start since I purchased her a couple of year back. Done various things following advice from previous threads. I had to change the starter as it decided to go dead on me enroute to France, I purchased a new one as I was advised that it had developed a flat spot and was non serviceable. I tried starting the engine last weekend and initially the battery seemed flat but then the turn over speed picked up and she begun to splutter but not start. next thing I had smoke billowing from the companionway and the awful smell of overheated copper winding.

Can anyone advise if this should occur again as i have only changed the unit within the last six months. the starter is again defunct. I can turn my car over for minutes and it hardly gets warm.

I would make sure you do not have a problem with water finding its way to places it should not. Water in the cylinders can give exactly the effect you describe.

Try shutting off the sea water before stopping the engine and leave it off until the engine is running. If the starter is getting hot then it suggests it could be getting all the amps it needs but is prevented from doing what it wants to by overload.

Do you have a starting handle to check compression. The valve seats can deteriorate when exposed to sea water.

One or two boats here which were engined recently have had these problems due to poor exhaust systems.

 

[Blueboatman]

Because of the age of the 3gm engines now, loads of new starter motors appearing on eBay this past couple of years, for reasonable money

Can't remember the OPs older queries nor what he has checked but one assumes bleeding, exhaust elbow off, winding it over with water inlet off and compression off to get oil round the bores, hot air gun ( or blowtorch) up the air intake..??

 

[rotrax]

My boat has a three cylinder Yanmar. It starts at the first touch of the key, as have my previous Yanmars, both elderly. The op says it has always been hard to start. I would go back to basic diagnosis. #1- IDENTIFY THE FAULT. #2- RECTIFY THE FAULT. #3-REMOVE THE CAUSE OF THE FAULT. #1 & #2 are easy-new or recon starter. #3 is a bit more tricky-has the engine- or fuel system- got a problem causing excessive cranking? Or has the electrical system got a problem? Time to give it some thought or call in an expert. My experience of modest output diesels is that they start very easily if all their systems are in good order, especially Yanmars. The starter on my Yanmar is the OE factory fitted one, 12 years old, 3,000 hours on the engine. Two starters in six monthe is expensive and points to another problem resulting in early failure. It is imperitive to rectify this or another starter will be required before long. From the info posted about the engine spluttering and not starting I would look at the engine and fuel system. It may be possible to have your old starter repaired, or even make one good one out of the two old ones if you still have them. Good Luck.

 

[penfold]

My father suffered a starter failure as a result of a sticky keystart switch; it stuck in the crank position because of goo and a duff return spring, and the starter burnt out cranking away while the engine was running causing a smoke-filled companionway identical to yours.

Starter failure can also occur if you work the starter too hard; a starter should not be cranked for more than 15-20 seconds at a time followed by at least a minute wait before cranking again.

 

[DaveS]

have you checked the return, the earth lead, from the starter back to the battery? If you have current going to any electric motor, but not enough for it to do its job, the current restricted by poor connections or the cable being too thin, the the motor or cable will just overheat.

I saw this often years ago when I had a garage, I had a good relationship with a local parts shop, monday morning would often see a car which had a new battery and starter, when all it needed was the earth lead connections cleaning up.

+1

Been there, done that, got the tee shirt - or in my case the unnecessary new starter motor which is still in its box.

 

[pampas]

A sometime forgotton bit is the condition of the ring gear, check to see if all the teeth are ok, ie not cracked or worn.

 

[alan]

Starter Motor Burnt Out Again.

I am not sure about your engine model, but on the newer 3YM30s there is a small relay on the rear of the motor which is energised during starting. I was talking to a charter fleet mechanic (here in Italy) a couple of summers ago and he said that these relays have been a problem on their fleet and sometimes stick "on" thus causing the starter motor to be permanently engaged even when the engine is running. The first thing the owner (or charterer) notices is a load of smoke pouring out of the engine bay and the acrid smell of hot electrical wire.

As I said, not sure if your motor has this relay but the symptoms could be indicative of this problem. [I had another problem where my starter motor would not start on occasions, and eventually I found a loose connection on this relay which is 'long way' physically from the starter motor itself"!].

Hope you find the fault soon, as replacing Yanmar starters is an expensive hobby!!

Alan.

 

[rotrax]

Starter failure can also occur if you work the starter too hard; a starter should not be cranked for more than 15-20 seconds at a time followed by at least a minute wait before cranking again.

Exactly-if the engine has not started by then there is another fault!

 

[smeaks]

If your battery voltage is not good or you have a dodgy cell the motor will always pull more amps to try and produce the power at the lower voltage and these excess amps can cook the motor. You may have had an under performing battery all along.

 

[vyv_cox]

A sometime forgotton bit is the condition of the ring gear, check to see if all the teeth are ok, ie not cracked or worn.

And anything else that may be causing the engine itself or the starting gear to be excessively stiff.

Firstly, as said above, is it possible that water is getting into the engine? Before trying to start it I would turn it over once or twice with a spanner on the front pulley to check for free turning.

Second, is the starter gear correctly aligned with the ring gear? Any possibility that it is not the correct starter motor? Does the pre-engaged mechanism come to a stop or is it grinding its axial face on the flywheel?

 

[lw395]

If your battery voltage is not good or you have a dodgy cell the motor will always pull more amps to try and produce the power at the lower voltage and these excess amps can cook the motor. You may have had an under performing battery all along.

Quite likely.
Also check the alternator is charging the battery fully.

 

[cimo]

doesn;t really sound like a wiring/electrical problem.
more like an overloaded s.motor and/or excessive cranking as mentioned.