OK, here’s my situation. My 1996 115hp Johnson Ocean Pro has been getting REALLY tough to start on first try. After that it is typically good to go for the day. Last time out though it left me stranded, just wouldn’t start on the way home.
Battery is 1 yr old and after fully charging it it reads 12.4v. Is that enough to start it? Starter spins but only 1 time out of 10 will the bendix spin up and crank the motor. Mostly it is just the starter whirring. So far I have cleaned all the connections at the battery , solenoid and starter down to bare metal. Well, I forgot to sand the two little lugs on the solenoid but I got the big ones. The starter, solenoid and battery cables are 1.5 years old as well. It basically a 1-yr old starting system. The battery I bought from Battery Plus and it is sealed, I’ve since read not to buy these for starting a boat but that is what I have, 800MCA too.
Only thing I can think of is the battery won’t get the job done at 12.4v or the keyed ignition switch (18 yrs old, original) is maybe corroded. Also, I tried jumping the starting battery with a trolling battery (also reading 12.4) and I had the exact same whirring with occasional crank. When it starts it runs fine throughout the RPM range, just can’t get it to start.
Good idea, but since it was only 1 year old I didn’t think it would be that. Boat stays in the slip though so the salt air does accelerate corrosion, aging etc.
I have not lubed the bendix, the fact that it does pop up every once in a while seems to me that it is working OK.
Thanks for the input, seeing as the cables are about a year old and that I’ve cleaned everything I’m thinking the battery is bad. Been thinking about my fishing habits, I crank the motor, run it for 5-10 minutes then fish for most of the day in that same area. Maybe I’ll fire it up and run for another 2-5 minutes to move to another spot but hardly ever any long runs. Lots of short runs with no time for the motor to charge the battery. I typically fish twice a week. That’s a lots of starts with just a little charge time. Do that for a year and it probably adds up and damages the battery.
I’m going to use jumper cables to bypass the solenoid, if it fires up I’ve got corrosion issues, if it acts the same way I’m calling it a 1.5 year-old trashed battery. I’ll update the post with results in case it helps someone else.
A fully charged lead acid battery should read 12.75 volts at a full charge. 12.4 volts is about 65 to 70% charged. 2X on Chris, big difference between volts and amps. A battery needs to be load tested, some auto parts stores will do it for free.
I have a johnson 150 ocean runner and have the exact same issues. i do ALOT of slow trolling and have a GPS unit, seperate Sonar unit, Stereo system, VHF Radio, and some times live well running. Its way too much for my single marine starter battery so my johnson doesnt charge it very well at idle speeds.
i greased my bendix and it helped some, but my best solution has been to run on plane for at least 10 minutes after a long day of trolling. its starts every time now that i do that. i have a battery switch in the garage and a deep cycle that i plan to install that should take care of the low charge issue.
also, if i troll for a long time but dont have the time to run long enough to charge the battery, i plug it up to a charger at the house so its ready for next time.
So solved the hard starting issue. Congrats Mr. 180 Sea Pro (below) it was indeed a sticky bendix. First I went to Batteries Plus and they load tested my battery and it turned out it was OK. Figured I then had to get into the starter as I looked at everything else already. Unscrewed like 18 bolts from various attachments to get to the top of the starter. everything looked good, but when i pulled the 1.5 year-old bendix it was sticky. Put a couple of drops of oil on it, worked it around a bit and it really loosened up. Put every thing back together and after a few turns of the key it fired up. the rest of the day it started like it was new.
Funny how this bendix had to be lubed after 15 months when the other was fine for 15 years, but go figure. Thanks for everyone’s input, I’m back on the water.