300/440/550 Starter died, AGAIN!

[ger87410]

1987 js550. Stock carb.
This is the 3rd time that the starter has died on me within a year.
1st time was at Caballo ~ March.
2nd time was at Texoma ~ June.
3rd time was at Elephant Butte this past weekend.

Only thing that I can think of is I'm having to crank her too much and it's wearing down the starter. :shrug: I crank it for about 10 seconds before she starts kicking over on her own when I start her.

Any ideas what could be causing starters to hate me so much?

 

[tor*p*do]

does ski have a primer?
mine dont crank anywhere near 10 seconds :dunno:

 

[ger87410]

Ski has a primer. Priming it will only make it take longer to crank.

 

[feartheride]

What happens to the starter
brushes wearing out,are you rebuilding them or replacing with used or new?
Are they getting wet?

 

[ger87410]

I'm replacing the starters with new starters that come with a warranty.
The last starter had a 2 year warranty attached.

I don't think the starter brushes are getting wet because it's a Goki looking starter that's sealed. There was no water under the flywheel cover.

 

[restosud]

fix your hard starting issue first by rebuilding your carb or whatever ails your boat.your crank seals may be going bad as well..js always started easily if tuned right and in good machanical condition.
goki starters are iffy at best.
oem is the only way to go but pricey.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Gokis are crap,put a SEADOO starter on it and ride.

 

[Mouthfulloflake]

why does the primer make it take longer to start?

you have some tuning issues if it doesnt fire off within a revolution or two ( under a second)

 

[WFO Speedracer]

550'S were always hard starters but yes it sounds like he has carb problems to boot,maybe a new needle and seat-carb rebuild is in order.

 

[3wheelerdude]

Even if he has a hard start issue, starters I have used in watercraft or offroad or any other type of application seem to last much longer. Even in Honda 3wheelers that need to be cranked for more than 30 seconds to start, they still last years before they need rebuild.

I think its related to an electrical or water infiltration issue.

 

[ger87410]

Starters that I've used in cars, motorcycles, and Kim's PWC have all lasted several times longer.
Kim's is still the original starter I got with the ski and I'm 100% sure it's got more cranking time on it then any starter I've had in my 550. I'd wager her starter has more cranking hours on it then all of the starters I've gone through combined.

1 of the starters I went through was OEM. It had the same problem.

I'm 99% sure it's not water infiltration. I'm not sure what to look for in the electrical system. Only thing I can think of to do is trace the wiring path to the starter and make sure the wires look good, without frays or cracks...

 

[Mouthfulloflake]

look for corroded connections, anywhere between the largre battery cables, grounds and starter.

just go ahead and clean them all, including the ones on the starter relay.

 

[ger87410]

It's not water infiltration. My mechanic verified that.

It's not over-use. We hardly used it in the 4 trips to the lake THIS starter.

The connections are clean. 1 going from the battery to the relay, 1 going from the relay to the starter, 1 going from the battery to the engine block, and 1 going from the block to the electronics. All clean.

Any other ideas?
Defective starters?
Both starters died and when you connect them straight to a battery it doesn't even spark. That tells me the starter's windings are shot. It'd take a great amount of heat to break the winging. More then can be generated by the sun, I think.

 

[jondotcom]

My old 550 used to eat starters too, though it turns out it had a bad front crank seal. You can tell because there was oily crud on the front (and inside) of the starter because the starter was seeing crancase pressure!).

Also, you should NEVER crank the starter when the starter starts to get hot and crank slow, or the battery is low. That will cook a starter.

My suggestion:
#1: Make sure your front crank seal is ok
#2: When you get a new starter, get a new battery and use beefy cables

It's not water infiltration. My mechanic verified that.
It's not over-use. We hardly used it in the 4 trips to the lake THIS starter.
The connections are clean. 1 going from the battery to the relay, 1 going from the relay to the starter, 1 going from the battery to the engine block, and 1 going from the block to the electronics. All clean.
Any other ideas?
Defective starters?
Both starters died and when you connect them straight to a battery it doesn't even spark. That tells me the starter's windings are shot. It'd take a great amount of heat to break the winging. More then can be generated by the sun, I think.

 

[ger87410]

Thanx for sharing your thoughts!

Also, you should NEVER crank the starter when the starter starts to get hot and crank slow, or the battery is low. That will cook a starter.

The last time it cranked slow was after sitting untouched for a week. The weekend before she cranked like a champ the whole day.

My suggestion:
#1: Make sure your front crank seal is ok
#2: When you get a new starter, get a new battery and use beefy cables

Crank seal is OK. My mechanic verified that last time the starter went.

It's a new battery. Got her just this year and charge her up every week before riding.

Here's a pick of the cables. Dunno what gauge they are, or if I can get any beefier cables.

Also here's a pick of the starter. I haven't cleaned it, and don't think I will before shipping it back.

I already threw my backup starter in and she cranked like you wouldn't believe and started in about 1/4 second.