Starter help

[rob63mess]

Hey guys....here's one for ya.... i just replaced the starter in the wild wolf but it barely turns over. New battery and I'm certain the starter is good. Here's the strange part.... if i take the sparkplug out, it will turn over like no bodies business but if i so much as put my thumb over the plug hole the motor stops cranking instantly. Any thoughts? I should also mention that I can pull start the wolf and it runs perfectly.

[Tom]

new battery?Have you charged it?Double check ground to frame.Terminal connections tight?

[Mike]

Like Tom said, it definitely sounds like a weak battery.

[rob63mess]

definatly not the battery....tried a couple of them both are strong...I'm frustrated! Terminals are tight at the battery and solenoid. Any other thoughts....I bought the starter from Don. It seems to be ok...even took it to a local shop and they said it was fine. I ran an additional ground to the frame from the motor and still nothing.

[Mike]

Do you have a battery charger with a start setting or jump box that you can connect in parallel with the battery? If not hook up some jumper cables to something else with a 12V battery while it is running and just see if that makes a difference at all. Even though you have tried two batteries try this just to see.

What motor do you have? Is it a high compression motor? What size batter do you have?

[JAM]

I had a snowmobile engine once that did a similar thing, the starting was hard as it could be I took the heads off and replaced them. it worked fine from then on. I did not notice anything wrong, a friend said that it was airlocked. To this day I am not sure what I did to make it work better, but it seems to me when you remove the plug the compression is low and it turns easy, when you cover it, it's hard to turn, so maybe the compression is higher then it should be. Oddly i could pull start mine as well, but the pull was harder then normal, always ran strong though. Just my experience thought maybe you could make sense of it.

[Tom]

Have you checked the voltage at the starter?Does it have a remote solenoid?Are you getting the full 12v?The contacts will get pitted enough to cause a voltage drop severe enough to cause this problem.If you have the remote solenoid and it's small type riding mower style,take a trip to autoparts store and get one for a Ford truck,it's a bit bigger and can with stand more.

[rob63mess]

thanks for all of the responses...First, i did try jumping with with a jump pack and also with a car, no luck. The motor is the original JLO 295. it pull starts pretty easily. It does have the remote solenoid and i never thought to check the voltage at the battery, solenoid or starter...thats a good idea. I"ll try that tomorrow and see what i get. Mike,Tom, and Jam, thanks for taking the time to try to help figure this thing out....I appreciate it. Any other thoughts, please chime in.

[Malee]

Seems like an unusual problem. Its a bonus if you can pul start it easy enough.

Battery might come in arround 11-13 volts but it doesnt automaticly mean there is enough amps to crank it over.

If you have jumped started from another good vehicle it is either solenoid or starter motor (starter motor may not be engaging with the ring gear neatly) eg: noisy - visable wear on your starter gear.

[mike bar]

Try pulling it over by hand half a turn and then try the starter. I remember a couple of guys talking about it one time, something to do with the flywheel stopping at the same spot all the time and teeth not matching up real well. They had to turn the flywheel to a diff. spot. Then again,I've been known to remember things that never really happened according to my wife.

[Don]

'Sounds like an unusual problem. The only thing that comes to mind is one of the same things Malee mentioned: the starter drive not meshing well with the ring gear. If nothing else works, I'd try to shim the starter out a little and see if it makes a difference. Let us know.

[rob63mess]

You know, i thought about shimming the starter.....i have a couple of days off coming up and i'm determined to fix it once and for all or sell it. Gonna start with all of the voltage checks and grounds, then go the starter and flywheel route...if it's not fixed by this time next week it goes out by the road with a for sale sign on it. Anyone in the market for a wild wolf with starter problems.

[Tom]

Well did you find the problem?

[rob63mess]

sure didn't, 12 volts at the battery but only about 3 volts at the starter. Hooked the jump pack directlt to the starer and still barely turns over. Actually put it on c-list for sale. if anyone is interested, its on the columbus ohio craigslist site. open to offers or trades

[Don]

Do you have a ground strap from the engine to the frame, Rob? I'd hate to see you get out of the hobby over a problem we can fix.