Please explain the disclaimer on SKIDIM's website regarding their starter relay...

[trayson]

Okay, so if you look at Skidim's website and look at the description on the starter relay, it says the following:

http://www.skidim.com/products.asp?dept=1030


STARTER RELAY
* CAUTION * Test starter after installation.
If starter stays engaged, it is an indication of a low amperage problem. Check both ends of the battery cables and main grounds.

Please help me understand why LOW amperage would make a starter stay engaged. My understanding of how a starter works is that a magnet is energized and moves the bendix gear to engage the flywheel and the starter motor spins the bendix gear and then the magnet is deenergized and the bendix gear retracts.

Why would low amperage be a factor in this equation. Obviously this is enough of an issue that Skidim would put a bit warning on their website.

I am having issues with my starter staying engaged, so I need to understand this relationship.

[villain]

Not sure why, but when I bought my Sunsport I had the same problem, fast forward to new cables and terminals...no sticky starter.

[trayson]

Not sure why, but when I bought my Sunsport I had the same problem, fast forward to new cables and terminals...no sticky starter.

Okay, upon further research, I've found that if you have bad or undersized cables, that the resistance will increase. If this happens, it creates heat and when cranking can actually create enough heat that the contacts in the solenoid can weld themselves together. A similar thing can happen when you're cranking with a low battery, or if you're cranking for too long in general.

So, things to look for are undersized battery cables (especially the ground that goes back to the block--gotta make sure the ground is a thick gauge and always as thick or thicker than the power wire). Make sure that you have good, clean contacts. And make sure your batteries stay nice and charged up.

I've also heard that you can actually do yourself a disservice and burn up starters or relays by using deep cycle batteries that don't have the CCA's that starting batteries do.

So, you've kind of confirmed my concerns and new cables and terminals are on my list of things to get. (Let's just hope the boat survives 1 more day on the water before I am able to get the new cables).