BB wrote:
Plenty of juice (batteries are new, good voltage) but when I turn the key I
get a chirping-clicking noise from what sounds like the solenoid. Also, the
starter won't engage the flywheel to turn it. Is my starter gone already?
Only have about 150 hours on the boat and engine (carbureted).

Thx for any help!



Might be but it sounds like a bad connection somewhere, from the
battery to the starter or there's some corrosion on the starter's
solenoid/bendix drive setup. Make sure the starters pinion is not stuck
down you should be able to gently lift it a little with a screwdriver.
(it should have some lube on it as part of a service)

Get someone to keep try the start on your sayso while you have a good
look around (careful moving bits etc)

Does the starter even "try" to engage??? if it moves even a little then,

Feel anywhere there's a connection or joining of the big battery lines
pos. AND neg, a bad connection should feel warm (don't grab too hard
might be more than warm:-)) or

You can use even a really cheap (sub $10 these days) dig. multimeter &
check various places you can access along the way; after the bad
connection you'll notice a much bigger drop in voltage as whoever tries
the start for you each time, or

Disconnect the heavy supply & any other leads from the starter then
disconnect the battery leads, with engine disconnected & "off" use some
jumper leads pos & neg from the battery direct to the starter just to
give it a very quick hit to ensure it's OK. You may need to use a little
jumper to powerup the solenoid.



K