ParaHandy
Active member
This is a tale of pertinacity and brit upper lippiness …… aka usual guff
For two months, starting my engine has not been it’s usual self. Press the button and the starter pinion can be heard moving forward but the starter motor doesn’t turn … press it again and, usually, everything OK.
Checked all battery cabling – found the +ve battery post with these screw clamp attachment of the 10mm cable surprisingly loose – but this made no difference other than the starter motor sounding a lot healthier ….
Replaced the Perko battery switch (no longer supplied by Lawrence, rang USA who gave me tel no of ASAP supplies which was wrong) and this made no difference …
Decided problem had to be the solenoid switch on the starter. Yanmar starters don’t have a bendix ring which pushes the starter pinion (via a large helix angle thread) onto the flywheel. Yanmar use a lever, driven by a solenoid, which pushes the pinion onto the flywheel. This solenoid also has a plunger which closes the contact between the battery and the starter motor. So, the starter won’t turn until the pinion is right out (there’s another bit – the spring – which copes with the situation where the pinion can not fully engage and mesh with the flywheel ring but ignore that).
Rang the main yanmar agent – the solenoid switch is sealed, has he got one in stock? Nope, no longer supplied as separate item, got to buy the whole starter …. You must be f***ing joking, mate? Nah, nein, niente, non, nope.
Serious money are these motors to a tight git.
Tried else where and was offered one (in yen). I had found out a year ago that the USA yanmar agents are no longer allowed to supply anybody outside their area eg Florida state. As with most marine items, the dollar price delivered eg $100 is normally the same as the UK £100 which made it cheaper and, most often, quicker to deal with US.
Soddit …
Took the starter motor to bits, added a wee bit of teflon grease to the solenoid iron whats-its-name and … success .. so far ....
Hope this helps anybody else ….
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For two months, starting my engine has not been it’s usual self. Press the button and the starter pinion can be heard moving forward but the starter motor doesn’t turn … press it again and, usually, everything OK.
Checked all battery cabling – found the +ve battery post with these screw clamp attachment of the 10mm cable surprisingly loose – but this made no difference other than the starter motor sounding a lot healthier ….
Replaced the Perko battery switch (no longer supplied by Lawrence, rang USA who gave me tel no of ASAP supplies which was wrong) and this made no difference …
Decided problem had to be the solenoid switch on the starter. Yanmar starters don’t have a bendix ring which pushes the starter pinion (via a large helix angle thread) onto the flywheel. Yanmar use a lever, driven by a solenoid, which pushes the pinion onto the flywheel. This solenoid also has a plunger which closes the contact between the battery and the starter motor. So, the starter won’t turn until the pinion is right out (there’s another bit – the spring – which copes with the situation where the pinion can not fully engage and mesh with the flywheel ring but ignore that).
Rang the main yanmar agent – the solenoid switch is sealed, has he got one in stock? Nope, no longer supplied as separate item, got to buy the whole starter …. You must be f***ing joking, mate? Nah, nein, niente, non, nope.
Serious money are these motors to a tight git.
Tried else where and was offered one (in yen). I had found out a year ago that the USA yanmar agents are no longer allowed to supply anybody outside their area eg Florida state. As with most marine items, the dollar price delivered eg $100 is normally the same as the UK £100 which made it cheaper and, most often, quicker to deal with US.
Soddit …
Took the starter motor to bits, added a wee bit of teflon grease to the solenoid iron whats-its-name and … success .. so far ....
Hope this helps anybody else ….
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