Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
Moderators: Redneck_Randy, badmoonrising, lakerunner
Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
Hello All.
I have an issue with "Da Boat"... Long story short, it is stranded at a dock on a private beech, a few miles away from our marina. The boat has power and ran great right up till the point at which it would not start. Turn the key and the "Bendix gear" does not pop up to engage the fly-wheel and does npt spin either... It turns very slowly. And the starter is VERY hot to the touch. So I am betting I need a new starter motor. Has anyone sourced this part? I called and looked online for OEM. Was told it is no longer available and I need to go "after market". Has anyone gone this route? I found 1 seemingly reputable place, "DB Electrical Starters and Alternators". I am looking for help and advice.
Do you think it is the starter motor?
Is there anything I can do to the "bad" starter?
Do you know of a good place to get after market starter for my boat engine?
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Rich
I have an issue with "Da Boat"... Long story short, it is stranded at a dock on a private beech, a few miles away from our marina. The boat has power and ran great right up till the point at which it would not start. Turn the key and the "Bendix gear" does not pop up to engage the fly-wheel and does npt spin either... It turns very slowly. And the starter is VERY hot to the touch. So I am betting I need a new starter motor. Has anyone sourced this part? I called and looked online for OEM. Was told it is no longer available and I need to go "after market". Has anyone gone this route? I found 1 seemingly reputable place, "DB Electrical Starters and Alternators". I am looking for help and advice.
Do you think it is the starter motor?
Is there anything I can do to the "bad" starter?
Do you know of a good place to get after market starter for my boat engine?
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Rich
Rich and Annemarie Bias
2007 20' Princecraft Vantage 20L
2007 Merc 75 4 Stroke
2006 Honda Pilot
2007 20' Princecraft Vantage 20L
2007 Merc 75 4 Stroke
2006 Honda Pilot
Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
Sometimes the bendix gear gets stuck on its shaft. Tap the starter with a hammer and spray the gear with some penetrating lubricant.justrfb wrote:Hello All.
I have an issue with "Da Boat"... Long story short, it is stranded at a dock on a private beech, a few miles away from our marina. The boat has power and ran great right up till the point at which it would not start. Turn the key and the "Bendix gear" does not pop up to engage the fly-wheel and does npt spin either... It turns very slowly. And the starter is VERY hot to the touch. So I am betting I need a new starter motor. Has anyone sourced this part? I called and looked online for OEM. Was told it is no longer available and I need to go "after market". Has anyone gone this route? I found 1 seemingly reputable place, "DB Electrical Starters and Alternators". I am looking for help and advice.
Do you think it is the starter motor?
Is there anything I can do to the "bad" starter?
Do you know of a good place to get after market starter for my boat engine?
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Rich
Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
You should have emergency starter rope in top of the cowling. At least would allow you to get it back to dock.
A 75 should be no problem to pull
A 75 should be no problem to pull

Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
You should be able to go on Google and put in "Mercury Outboard Parts" and come up with online microfiches for any Mercury motor. I went onto Boats.net and found the microfiche you probably need. They go by serial number, so you'll need that info.
I just hate to say you won't like the prices of Mercury starters. Mercury is a bandit when it comes to parts pricing.
Take it to a local auto electric business that rebuilds starters and get them to order the specific part(s) needed rather than buy a whole starter. They can also test your starter.
I just hate to say you won't like the prices of Mercury starters. Mercury is a bandit when it comes to parts pricing.
Take it to a local auto electric business that rebuilds starters and get them to order the specific part(s) needed rather than buy a whole starter. They can also test your starter.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150
Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
I know you said you have power but have truly tested the battery? A low battery may not spin the starter fast enough. And excess heat will build up in the motor windings as a result. I battled a motor on the water chasing my tail because I thought the Bendix was stuck and I was convinced the battery was good because I had 12.3v showing on the depth finder.
After about 2 hours of taking it apart and putting it back together with the same results i finally switched to my backup battery and the damn thing fired right up. I felt like an idiot to say the least.
Anyways, good luck.
After about 2 hours of taking it apart and putting it back together with the same results i finally switched to my backup battery and the damn thing fired right up. I felt like an idiot to say the least.
Anyways, good luck.
Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
I agree with this, starters usually outlast motors. Very rare that they would go tits up. I at least would try a fresh battery or a jump start to make sure. Good luck.crspang wrote:I know you said you have power but have truly tested the battery? A low battery may not spin the starter fast enough. And excess heat will build up in the motor windings as a result. I battled a motor on the water chasing my tail because I thought the Bendix was stuck and I was convinced the battery was good because I had 12.3v showing on the depth finder.
After about 2 hours of taking it apart and putting it back together with the same results i finally switched to my backup battery and the damn thing fired right up. I felt like an idiot to say the least.
Anyways, good luck.
2007, 2570 Crest LE II
Yamaha F150
Yamaha F150
Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
But if a starter does go out, one may cost you over $600--highway robbery. Every piece in a starter is available as individual parts though.
Have a Verado motor with a supercharger go out and it's going to cost you over $5K. Ouch. That's enough to make one lean toward a Yamaha 300 or an engine without a blower.
Have a Verado motor with a supercharger go out and it's going to cost you over $5K. Ouch. That's enough to make one lean toward a Yamaha 300 or an engine without a blower.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150
Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
The first thing I'd check would be to see if the motor will turn over freely by rope or by hand. It could be some sort of internal failure that has caused the motor to hydro-lock and the motor will never turn despite a good battery and charger.justrfb wrote: It turns very slowly. And the starter is VERY hot to the touch.
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Leaving Only "The Footprints of Your Passing"
Boating the Muskingum River
1972 35' Crest Pontoon Houseboat
2007 90 hp. Yamaha
Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
Hello All and thank you for your help and concern... I do appreciate the support and genuine concern from all the good people on this special forum. I am part of many forums but this one is the one I always and still keep coming to visit continuous and constant for years now
WOW, time flies... Now to our starter dilemma...
I went back to the boat yesterday afternoon with Annemarie and my tools, lubes, battery load tester (new from AutoZone...) hammer and most of all, optimism! Long story very short, Lakes End Marina is towing the boat to their place today and will be hunting down the issue... You are correct...$550.00 for a starter!!
Crazy. If you look online (Amazon, E bay...), supposedly I can get one that works on my Merc 75ELPT 4S for $140.00. Anyway, I checked the battery with the load tester and it was good. This is also the reason the jump pack I had attached to the battery didn't work because I didn't need it. I tapped here and there, checked all the connections and still, the Bendix gear would not kick up and would not spin, it would just turn slowly... There also is no fly wheel groove to put a rope to try and spin the engine. I will let you know what the issue is when I hear back. I try to do a lot of things to save my family some money that could be used else where but some times you just have to call on the professionals... Thank you all again! Good thing this issue reared its ugly head at a private beach dock and not out while we were swimming or worse, out 5 miles on Lake George later this summer!!
Sincerely,
Rich

I went back to the boat yesterday afternoon with Annemarie and my tools, lubes, battery load tester (new from AutoZone...) hammer and most of all, optimism! Long story very short, Lakes End Marina is towing the boat to their place today and will be hunting down the issue... You are correct...$550.00 for a starter!!

Sincerely,
Rich
Rich and Annemarie Bias
2007 20' Princecraft Vantage 20L
2007 Merc 75 4 Stroke
2006 Honda Pilot
2007 20' Princecraft Vantage 20L
2007 Merc 75 4 Stroke
2006 Honda Pilot
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Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
One last thing to check if you can.
Sometimes, if the positive battery cable is corroded and thus impeded, it can cause starting issues such as you're describing.
So try cleaning the battery connections and checking for impedance to ensure that the cable is delivering full power to the starter.
Sometimes, if the positive battery cable is corroded and thus impeded, it can cause starting issues such as you're describing.
So try cleaning the battery connections and checking for impedance to ensure that the cable is delivering full power to the starter.
[color=#FF0000][b]22' G3 SunCatcher V22F
Yamaha F-90
Tooning on El Dorado Reservoir[/b][/color]
Yamaha F-90
Tooning on El Dorado Reservoir[/b][/color]
Re: Starter motor... 2007, Merc 4 stroke, 75elpt...
Update...
David @ Lake's End Marina on Lake Hopatcong, NJ did a wonderful job and service was spot on!
He diagnosed the starter was bad and when he went to change it, he found a broken bracket. He sourced the bracket and starter, installed them both and we are on "Da Boat" again... Ran it all weekend long, swimming, tubing, stop and start, stop and start... All is well. Thanks for your help and suggestions here and also, thanks to David @ Lake's End Marina. I do most of my own maintenance and repair on my boat (thanks to this wonderful community of caring and concerned people) and it is good to know I have this community and a nice person at a reputable marina to back me up. Safe boating.
Sincerely,
Rich
David @ Lake's End Marina on Lake Hopatcong, NJ did a wonderful job and service was spot on!

Sincerely,
Rich
Rich and Annemarie Bias
2007 20' Princecraft Vantage 20L
2007 Merc 75 4 Stroke
2006 Honda Pilot
2007 20' Princecraft Vantage 20L
2007 Merc 75 4 Stroke
2006 Honda Pilot