converting a pull start to electric start

[seaskimmer]

hi guys and gals,
just a quick question for the mechanicaly minded ribbers out there,i have a fairly old mariner 40hp pull start, it works great but wonder if it will be possible to convert it to a electric start. if so would it be a exspensive project and what degree of difficullty would it be, and also what items would i need

[roohairy]

Sure someone will be able to tell you exactly what you need, but at a guess:
Starter motor + mountings
Probably rectifier / voltage regulator
Wiring
Battery
Also you'd need to check that your flywheel is the same as an electric start one, ie it has teeth for the starter to drive.

I'd look for a 'dead' engine to rob bits from, I would guess that the cost of new parts would make it uneconomical - you could probably get an electric start outboard of a similar vintage for about the same money.

[jwalker]

It depends whether your flywheel has a starter ring or not. Some do, some don't. If it does, you'll also need a starter motor and any associated mouning bits, a solenoid capable of carrying the starter motor current, a start switch of some sort, a simple button will do if you're not looking for security, a battery (obviously) and, preferably, a method of charging it. The lighting coil on your motor will likely be sufficient if it's rectified. There is another thread dealing with this. Do a search on 'bridge rectifier'.

Hope this is of some help.

[tue]

Mariner do a kit. If you visit your local Merc/Mariner dealer armed with your engines serial number they should be able to order you said kit with all associated parts required.

[Bilge Rat]

Seaskimmer....... Can i ask why you want to convert from a pull start to an electric start ? to my mind its just more things that can possibly go wrong.

With a pull start you dont need a battery, you wont have an engine failure becuase the circuit wont complete or the switch fails and its just one less thing to corrode and fall off

[Turbodiesel]

Yeap, Its quite easy. As tue says get your serial number and take it to your local dealer. But you will be definatley better off getting the parts second hand cause they wont be cheap if your buying new.

[seaskimmer]

thanks for all the comments gang, the reason i would like to convert to an electric start, is really just for practicality. i do a lot of ribbing on my own and sometimes when i am close to the shore and have the engine stopped, i have to leave my console and go back and pull start the engine, just thought it would be nice to press a button, and hey presto!.i have also considered buying a new second hand electric start engine, but in truth this one runs like a dream, so i am loath to get rid of it.any way if i do decide to convert it i will be using second hand bits, then the question is how reliable will they be, and if it all goes wrong then i will be back to a pull start any way, so as it stands i will just save my pennies up and when the time is right i will buy a electric start engine.


cheers everyone