Crucial Steps for Replacing a Boat's Starter Motor
Summer is a great time to go fishing or organize boat races with friends and family. However, it is highly unlikely you will enjoy your time at sea if you have a malfunctioning starter motor. The first instinct for most boat owners is to take the vessel to marine services for starter motor replacement. Nonetheless, you can replace the starter motor yourself, but you have to know how marine services handle the process. This article highlights the steps marine services follow when replacing a boat's starter motor.
Disconnect Live Cables — A starter motor consists of a powerful direct-current motor with a starter circuit attachment. The unit transfers high-voltage electricity to the engine to crank it on and get the boat moving. Therefore, it is vital to ensure you disconnect the starter motor from its electricity source before you do anything to prevent electrocution. The first step is to disconnect the thick cable attached to the battery's positive terminal. This is the main cable distributing power to the electrical system in most starter motors. Follow this up by disconnecting the small wire connected to the starter relay. Only move to the next step once you are sure both cables are disconnected to their terminals.
Disconnect from the Engine — The next step for replacing a malfunctioning starter motor is to remove it from the engine. Most motor types are attached to the flywheel housing and fixed in place with two or three bolts. This is where you need the right tools for the job, because an ordinary wrench is not enough to unbolt fasteners in inaccessible locations. A socket wrench is your best bet at undoing the bolts for accessibility reasons. An extension set for the socket wrench also comes in handy for bolts sitting deep inside the engine. The set offers a mechanical advantage for easy unbolting.
Getting the Right Starter Motor — The last piece to the jigsaw is finding the right starter motor for your boat, because the component will not start if you install the wrong model. Therefore, look at the old starter for the model number on labels or engravings before ordering. Alternatively, you can look up the starter motor of your boat on the manufacturer's website. The starter category on the site will have two columns; one section indicates the brand of the motor, while the second column specifies the model number. Most importantly, match the model numbers when installing a new starter motor.
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