Starter seized due to flywheel 2014 MB Indmar
 

The boat I sold a month ago has a problem. Long story short Starter was seized at lake, pull starter, and it spins fin, Indmar installs new starter, get basically bound on the flywheel? Also if you have a MB and have installed aftermarket stereo or ballast....flywheels and starters are not covered.....flywheels and starters......on a 2014 boat

Where do you get a 2014 Indmar 343 flywheel?
Do you have to pull the motor to replace the flywheel?
Can you shim the starter to try and get the teeth to align better? (where to get said shims?)

**I apologize for spelling like a small child in the heading**

Did it chew any teeth off the flywheel? If not, you're fine there. Just go to any automotive shop and get a pack of starter shims for a small block Chevrolet and install those. I'm not sure how tight your abendix is, but a few shims will fix that problem. Also, when they got the new starter, was it from indmar and a marine starter? If it was an automotive starter, that's a big no-no.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMim-Dv9CHM Here is a video he sent, it since has a new starter, but it sounds like its not the starter, its it connection. I will have him pull it and look.

Its a marine starter, from indmar

Top mount or bottom mount?

What does the starter and flywheel have to do with a stereo or ballast upgrade?

There is a demon living in that boat!!!

sounds like the starter is not engaging with the flywheel at all. It's just spinning freely.

Exactly what it sounds like to me. Check your battery voltage and connections also. Sounds like a bad solenoid to me but if you've replaced it I'd say bad connections.

You can inspect the flywheel by removing the starter and turning the engine by hand but honestly that doesn't sound like its part of the issue to me.

+1 to all of this

not enough voltage or a bad connection won't let the bendix throw far enough.

you could always tap on it!!

Or the bendix is broken.

Right? It's how MB takes care of their customers....sad

Bottom

Ya they told him the starter is fine, but there is something wrong with the flywheel? I am too far away, in cali, and he is in tacoma washington. So if the starter is spinning freely does that mean the fly wheel teeth are shot? Or it needs more voltage?

What is the bendix?

I asked him, yes the flywheel is chewed up

The bendix is the fork that throws the starter drive out towards the flywheel. I had a couple of them break on my old boat when I replaced the starter - they don't make em like they used to. The teeth on the flywheel would have to be completely gone for it to spin freely like you hear in your video. I would highly suspect the bendix is broken. It makes sense as the 'clunk' you hear in the prior videos is the starter drive being pushed out by the solenoid (via the benidx) and hitting the flywheel while the engine is running. This contact pushes the starter drive back into the starter - so you have opposing forces on the bendix and it likely snapped as a result.

If the flywheel is chewed up there's no choice but to pull the motor out to replace it. I'd want picture proof of destroyed flywheel before approving that work to be done though.

I would imagine that pulling the v-drive and transmission might be easier than pulling the motor to replace the fly wheel?

I've never done it, but I don't think it's really gonna be possible to get the transmission out without pulling the engine. I guess it depends on the boat. I know the v-drive can usually be pulled, but the transmission is quite a bit larger.

Pulling an engine isn't really that hard. A skilled mechanic could have it out in a few hours.

The teeth got knocked off my fly wheel. If the bell housing has a place for a top mount starter (top of bell housing pointing towards bow), you can take off that plate, remove all the spark plugs, turn the engine over by hand and examine the fly wheel. You should be able to tell where the teeth are missing or in my case, just a little shorter. You could also turn the key and visually see if the fly wheel is moving.

I would think its still the starter unless you have inspected the flywheel visually.

Is the bendix a part of the actual starter? And are they replacable?

I believe the bendix is part of the starter. On my boat once the key is turned the starter stays engaged until the motor starts. What would happen if the motor started and the starter stayed engaged. I don't like this feature.....seems like it could cause a problem.

This SHOULD be covered under warranty......I think it's lame of MB to not cover this. How does ballast and aftermarket stereo link to a starter problem?

the bendix is in the starter housing. its the little spring loaded gear that contacts the flywheel and gets it turning, then retracts when voltage drops. probably a serviceable part to an alternator/starter shop. I doubt you could walk into an auto zone and get a replacement bendix

Cool thank you! Sounds like a Indmar tech installed the starter and they are the ones who determined the flywheel got smoked. Still sounds fishy

He is going to take to another dealer for a second opinion I think

Good call. The change on a broken fly wheel is really small.

If they checked with multiple starters, they should look into the wiring and battery. It is a 30min job to pull a fresh battery, with a short, new lead wire to the starter and to the engine ground.
Just shortcut the battery solenoid by a screw driver (or a good wire to the battery ) and I'm convinced the engine will turnover normally.

whenever you buy a new boat you get two warrantees, one for the boat and one for the engine, this would be on the engine warranty

I would like to know the reasoning behind this also. Indmar excuse?

probably not covered because if you have after market ballast, it could cause damage to the starter if your bag breaks and your engine compartment gets flooded. I just ruined a pretty new starter by forgetting to put in my plug and the water rose above the starter level, after a couple weeks the starter fried! as far as after market stereo? that's just plain stupid!

Can't the same be said for every boat with a bilge drain plug though?

I don't see how ballast or stereo could possibly cause a starter to misalign with a flywheel.

You would think...this is where the finger pointing begins, and don't want to throw out all over WW, but I agree with you. But MB installs the motors, so Indmar is saying its due to faulty wiring with he starter/and or the factory trim tab auto retract function.

The guy that bought the boat never even filled the ballast, he actually used the boat to tube (ha ha)...so that wasn't the issue. Even with a new starter which has been installed it still does it.

MB excuse.

I agree, sad part is there is very little trouble shooting to be done where it currently is. the new owner is not very mechanically inclined, so its hard to explain this stuff over the phone. I still want to physically see this "chewed fly wheel"