1990 3467 Santego battery arrangement, weak port starter

[BarryK]

Thanks for the info!

So I measured the resistance battery positive to starter positive: 26 ohms.
Resistance battery negative to a slightly rusty spot on the transmission: 2 ohms.

I tried to remove the positive lead from the starter and unfortunately the whole terminal broke off despite 24 hours of Kroil. I did not see the nut behind the terminal that I could have held on to. So I will need to remove the starter.

I located the 2 mounting studs last night but did not try to loosen the nuts. I was told by the prior mechanic that they are nuts on studs. Any advice for the correct tools to loosen the nuts? I don't want to break anything else. I sprayed them with penetrating oil last night.

It is very tight on the Santego with V-drives. You access the starter under the heat exchanger through a couple of hatches in the cabin. I may need to remove a hose to the heat exchanger. Not sure if it is raw water or antifreeze.

The mechanic said to have the old starter rebuilt since the new ones are made in China and quality is poor. I found a reputable rebuild shop nearby.

Thanks,
Barry

[bud37]

Barry , I have an idea you have found the issue.......like your mechanic said , any reputable shop can rebuild the starter.....just remind them it is marine ( just a spark arrester )....the old fix for the delco starters was having some extra windings put in, but I think that is a long time ago now ..

Just take yout time and clean all....then.... all will be well.

[BarryK]

Hi All,

I replaced the starter with a new Delco starter. It was pretty difficult with the V-drive but I got it done.

The motor spun beautifully but was very hard to start. I had a mechanic look at it. We discovered that the accelerator pump on the carburetor was not working at all. Mine does not have a choke. It relies on priming from the accel. pump.

I exchanged the carb for a rebuilt one from a local carb shop. Last night it started up very quickly, even starting with an empty carburetor bowl!

So, I think the excessive cranking over the last few months due to the carb issue led to the demise of the starter.

Anyhow all is good now. I just have to set the idle and line up the throttle levers so the 2 are even. Any advice on how to adjust the throttle cable? Is it all done at the carb or do I have to also adjust at the helm also? I have only a single helm.

Thanks,
Barry

[BarryK]

So, I replaced the starter and the engine spun beautifully but had a very difficult time starting. A mechanic looked things over and he determined that the accelerator pump on the carb was not working at all. So, pumping the throttle had zero effect. I exchanged the Quadrajet carb for a rebuilt one at a local shop and it starts right up now with only one or 2 pumps of prime! I do not have chokes on my carbs so the accelerator pump is required to prime the intake with fuel. The old carbureted aircraft engines have the same priming arrangement.

I bet that the starter burned out due to too prolonged cranking by the prior owner due to the accelerator pump issue. This was probably caused by alcohol in the fuel attacking the diaphragm of the pump?

Thanks all for the help!!