I have a 92 460 in my boat. It is connected to a Kodiak Jet Pump (not an outdrive propeller). Most of the time the engine cranks fine. But once in a while, when starting, it turns over slowly (like the battery is low), and then fires, or just cranks slowly and does not fire. Then a half an hour later will crank without any problem. Or it will crank fine at the ramp, but after will have difficulty cranking the next time I want to start it.

I have replaced the starter battery and solenoid. The alternator gauge reads 12V. Thinking the battery low, I put it on the charger and the cranking was still an issue.

What is the problem.

Thanks for the help.

Chris

 

Sounds like your starter is getting heat soaked. A starter heat shield should cure it.
My 86 does it after it's been sitting 5-10 minutes after being at O/T... I just live with it.

 

Your starter is dying, it probably has bushings that are worn out and the starter shaft gets mis-aligned when trying to crank. I had a starter on a 400 that did this exact thing and the bushings literally fell out with the slop it had. Put in a high performance starter and you should be set.

Good Luck,
Brian

 

I'd Have a look at the battery cables Next. Try reading voltage from the positive battery terminal to the other end of the cable at the solenoid. Use a good Quality Digital Meter. If you read anything but 0 Volts. Change the cable. The Ground Cable can be read in the same manner. Just remember that the battery terminals will always be the polarity as marked and observe the proper polarity when testing. The cable from the solenoid to the starter only has voltage applied when the solenoid is activated, so it is ok to read it with an Ohm meter when no voltage is present on the cable. Use the most sensitive setting on the meter. You should read less than 1 Ohm from the solenoid to the starter.

 

The starter was rebuilt two years ago. It I don't think it should be failing so soon. Is there a simple way to check?

The heat may be a problem as the starter sits down in the engine bay next to the block and under the exhaust manifolds and there is poor air circulation due to the motor cover. Also, I am sure the battery cables are the original ones, so I will chek them,

Thanks,

Chris