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S225TXRX (1999)
Is there any preventative maintenance that should/could be done to the starter? It starts and runs fine, it's just my opinion that my crank is not as strong as it should be. Connections are clean and tight, batteries are new.
I do have problems though in late fall when it is very cold. The part on top of the starter that jumps up and grabs the flywheel (I think the manual calls it a pinion gear). I have never pulled the flywheel cover off but it's pretty clear by listening to it as I try to start it that the pinion gear is jumping up but either NOT engaging the flywheel or engaging it half way and quickly falling off. If I keep the key engaged, I can hear that pinion gear spinning, it's just not engaged into the flywheel. When it is very cold, it takes me several attempts to get it engaged and spinning the flywheel enough so she'll turn over. Again, this only happens when it is very cold out. Could it be sticking in the cold weather and in need of a lube job? Once I get it started in cold temps, it's fine the rest of the day.
I should mention the following.....Before I launched this year (boat was sitting Dec thru March) I bought new batteries that were sitting at 12.6 on a DVM. Just for the hell of it, I put them on a charger anyway for 5+- hours before I launched. Before I turned the key, those batteries were red hot, sitting at 13.5+- on a DVM. In 12 years, I have never seen the thing turn over so quickly. I didn't even hear a crank, it went from turning the key to immediately running. Seemed like higher than normal voltage eliminated the problem.
Anything I can do to trouble shoot it now when it's a toasty 85 degrees instead of waiting until Nov when it starts acting up and temps are in the 30's and my fingers are frozen?
Is there any preventative maintenance that should/could be done to the starter? It starts and runs fine, it's just my opinion that my crank is not as strong as it should be. Connections are clean and tight, batteries are new.
I do have problems though in late fall when it is very cold. The part on top of the starter that jumps up and grabs the flywheel (I think the manual calls it a pinion gear). I have never pulled the flywheel cover off but it's pretty clear by listening to it as I try to start it that the pinion gear is jumping up but either NOT engaging the flywheel or engaging it half way and quickly falling off. If I keep the key engaged, I can hear that pinion gear spinning, it's just not engaged into the flywheel. When it is very cold, it takes me several attempts to get it engaged and spinning the flywheel enough so she'll turn over. Again, this only happens when it is very cold out. Could it be sticking in the cold weather and in need of a lube job? Once I get it started in cold temps, it's fine the rest of the day.
I should mention the following.....Before I launched this year (boat was sitting Dec thru March) I bought new batteries that were sitting at 12.6 on a DVM. Just for the hell of it, I put them on a charger anyway for 5+- hours before I launched. Before I turned the key, those batteries were red hot, sitting at 13.5+- on a DVM. In 12 years, I have never seen the thing turn over so quickly. I didn't even hear a crank, it went from turning the key to immediately running. Seemed like higher than normal voltage eliminated the problem.
Anything I can do to trouble shoot it now when it's a toasty 85 degrees instead of waiting until Nov when it starts acting up and temps are in the 30's and my fingers are frozen?
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