by Henry B. Notrom
If your electric starting system is acting up, chances are the starter itself isn't to blame. Knowing what can go wrong is half the battle.
Here's just one big difference between your electric-starting outboard and the smaller manual-starting engine you probably traded in on it. When the manual starter, you provided the pull power needed to get the engine revving. With the electric-starting engine, the pull is provided by the starting circuit. When you turn the ignition key, electricity is fed to the starter by the battery via the solenoid. The starter is nothing more than an electric motor which converts the electricity it receives to mechanical energy. The electricity spins and sends forward a shaft in the starter, at the end of which is a gear called the pinion drive. This engages the flywheel causing it to spin and start the engine. Once the engine starts, the pinion disengages, the starter comes to a peaceful halt and it lies at rest until needed again. It's as simple as that. In spite of this, however, trouble can develope in the starting circuit. There are generally only five possibilities to check out.
HOME PAGE
