Starter on 3qm30

[Mathurin]

I'm looking for a spare starter for my 3qm30 (121370-77010). Does anyone has a good lead on a Canadian retailer ? Yanmar Canada asks in the area of 1800$ for them, which I think is completely riddiculous. I've seen exact remplacements selling for 119$ on this website:
http://www.psep.biz/store/yanmar_alternators_and_starters_by_oem_.htm
but they don't ship to the Canada.
I think the original starter was made by Hitachi, pn S12-47.
Anyone ?

 

[Steve Dion]

If I were you, I would install one of these replacements as your primary & save your existing starter as your "spare". These have to be Chinese knock offs at this price for a "NEW" starter.

I doubt that I would trust them.

 

[rardiH36]

Sorry, I don't have any particular knowledge/insights to help too much with your question.

But am curious what is the background that gives you pause for needing a spare starter? I have a 2QM20. Wouldn't be surprised if it has the exact same starter as yours. A couple of years ago, I came across a website that claimed to have a Hitachi marine starter that corresponded to the one in my 2QM20 and at the same sort of price that you cited for the one you have seen. I was tempted to order, but my starter had never shown signs of acting up. For the heck of it, I removed it from the engine, took it home, took it apart, cleaned it up and checked according to the inspection/tests suggested in the Yanmar manual. The brushes were getting near the minimum acceptable limit, but otherwise all was OK so I stuck it back on my engine.

But relying on a 30-year old starter does give me some concern, particularly since the starter solenoid is intregral and can't be serviced (such as cleaning the contacts) because it is a sealed unit.

Without a working starter, the engine is useless. I've tried several times to start the engine with the manual emergency crank ... with not a hint of success. The resistance of the cylinder compression is too great to be able to get enough rotational speed. And for one person, releasing the decompression mechanism to get some rotational momentum, and then engaging again, at the same time as trying to crank, take too much coordination to accomplish.

 

[Steve Dion]

Torresen Marine Yanmar Price: $1,188.36 - each (yanmar 121370-77010)

I would think you can find them rebuilt at cheaper prices.

 

[tomgrigsby]

There are three listing on Ebay - prices from $99 to $249. All of the sellers have 100% positive feedback. At lease 1 ships worldwide. 1100 dollars for a starter is stupid money. It's just a starter for a little diesel engine: no magic or special construction. Neither OEM or aftermarket units are sealed or made of any special materials for marine service. Buy a spare (and test it before you store it), if you are worried.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Yanmar-3QM30-St...at_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item4aa2fd8afe

http://cgi.ebay.com/STARTER-YANMAR-...at_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item1e45d52aed

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-0-KW-STARTER-...at_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item2ea7316296

 

[Mathurin]

I need A spare because in 4 years, I had to have my rebuilt 3 times. The first two times I got screwed by the technician, which basically painted the starter without doing much to it. When the engine would get hot, the starter wouldn't kick in, it drained too much current. I had this problem while going throught a lock 3 years ago, not a very nice situaton. This year, I changed technician, the guy did a fantastic job, and I haven't had issues with the starter so far. But since I'm leaving for the bahamas in septembre, and I had previous issues with that piece of equipeement (and I was told to get a spare starter by a friend who goes down that path every year and had to use his pare a few times), I want a spare starter. Thanks for the links

 

[tomgrigsby]

Having a spare sounds like good advice. These little diesels are hard to kill, but if it doesn't start, that's a huge problem for most of us. You can live with a failed alternator for a while, but a bad starter is a show stopper for sure. A rebuild is mostly cleaning and replacing brushes and bearings. The commutator will eventually wear to the point that the armature needs replaced. This link is for a VW starter, but the principles and basic construction are the same.
http://www.hallvw.clara.net/starter.htm

 

[rardiH36]

MATHURIN2:

Thanks for the background. Much better for peace of mind and safety to have a backup for a starter that already has a history of being tempermental.

Mine's been acting ok, I sail always within SF Bay, and Vessel Assist is never too far away. Very different than your situation of heading off on an extended cruise where you often will be miles from assistance.

However good to know that an after-market replacement starter can be bought for a reasonable price. All that metal, engineering, machining work, electrical elements, etc ... its an intricate working machine. All that for only about 3-4 x's the list price for one of those simple pieces of molded rubber that we call impellers. Go figure.

 

[Mathurin]

Thanks Tomgrigsby for the previous links you posted, I ended up buying the used original one at 100$. It's not new, but it's not a cheap knock off, and it's a lot less expensive than what was availible here.

 

[tomgrigsby]

Glad I could help. I've certainly received much help on this site. That spare is going to give you much peace of mind on your trip. Fair winds & following seas!