New starter, but makes a weird grumbling sound

[mtl514eb]

So discouraged with this boat. 1996 Challenger.

About three weeks ago, was out on the water about 20km from where I put the boat in. We docked to go have a bite to eat and when I came back, go to start the boat and NOTHING....
Checked everything I could at the dock to no avail.

Go the boat back home and determined it was the starter the issue. Ordered a new starter, and put it in yesterday.

Once it was in, I turn the key, and the starter goes, but makes a weird grumbling sound and doesnt turn over the engine. Sounds like it is turning but having A LOT of trouble. For anyone that has ever changed a starter on these things, getting to the one bolt is a huge PITA.

Any ideas? Not sure what the problem could be. Starter is brand new from SBT. Asking for advice before I remove it again.

Thanks guys,

 

[Waterluvr]

Start with your battery, charge it and have it load tested even if it was new last week. Perform voltage drop and resistance tests on the starter cables, so long as the starter bench tested ok before you installed it your problem will likely be in one of those areas.

Probably easier to do the tests than remove the starter right away, Id hold off taking it out.

Can't tell you how many times I have found corrosion under the crimps on cable ends that have yielded test results of 1 -1.5 loss of volts due to resistance in that circuit.

 

[mtl514eb]

didn't bench test the starter like an idiot

How many volts should I be expecting? Battery may be weak, will pick up a new one and try that.

 

[Waterluvr]

You don't need to replace the battery just yet, there's a reason I wanted you to charge it and have it load tested first. It's important you establish that it's a good battery with a known ability to deliver amperage under load and that's why a load test is mandatory.

A new battery is no guarantee of anything unless you also charge it and have it load tested as it is your baseline for the voltage drop tests. Do that first, what you're looking for is the voltage reading at the battery (12.5 + at that point) and then again on the cable end to the solenoid and then from the power out connection on the solenoid to the starter connection when the start switch is pressed for a comparison to establish resistance in that circuit.

You can ohm all the cables hot and and ground as well, anything more than a fraction of one amp and that's a problem in the cable and or the crimped ends. The voltage drop tests will tell you exactly to what extent that resistance is effecting each leg of the circuit.

Ideally you should not be losing any more than .5 volt through the entire circuit to the starter connection.

 

[mtl514eb]

ok awesome will do that. and report back.

The starter makes a weird noise tho. Will try and describe it better when i go back to the boat.

 

[Waterluvr]

ok awesome will do that. and report back.

The starter makes a weird noise tho. Will try and describe it better when i go back to the boat.

I know that noise all to well. So the reason for measuring resistance by voltage drop testing is simple, you can do that with any generic multi-meter.

Question for you, if you determine you're losing voltage to circuit resistance what else are you losing from the battery that's critical to starter function and operation that will cause it to heat up in a real hurry?