Interested in a 1992 Sunsport. Need opinions.

[92SupraComp]

What sized wire was in the boat already? My comp came with 0/2 Gauge from the battery to the block. My CC has #2 Gauge I believe and with the old starter the volt gauge almost went to off position. With the mini high torque starter, the volts dont drop past 10 volts. I hate the old plunger starters, so slow, and use so much power.

[trayson]

What sized wire was in the boat already? My comp came with 0/2 Gauge from the battery to the block. My CC has #2 Gauge I believe and with the old starter the volt gauge almost went to off position. With the mini high torque starter, the volts dont drop past 10 volts. I hate the old plunger starters, so slow, and use so much power.

Well, my ground from the battery to the block was 1 gauge and 7 feet long. And I think that the main power feed was 0 or 0/2. But when the Previous owner installed a perko switch he put 4 gauge between each of the batteries and the switch and also between the two batteries. I also had 4 gauge from the starter relay to the starter solenoid. I did notice some rust/corrosion on the neg terminal that went to the block, so upsizing that and shortening the run by a foot (because I could) made sense.

I think I have the "newer" style starter with the external solenoid (it's not an old school 1 wire starter).

My problems could have simply been the relay. Maybe extra current from the smaller wires and/or some corrosion. I just figured I'd upgrade and upsize because I can and because I don't want to worry about this crap ever again.

[92SupraComp]

Wait wait wait. Hold the phone. Thats right, you should have a mini high torque starter. How do you have it wired up? The correct wiring should be that the solenoid on the starter constantly has 12 volts, otherwise you have disengaging problems. And on the remote starter solenoid, the switched side should switch the wire that switches the solenoid on the starter its self.

[92SupraComp]

Here, the input side of solenoid built into the starter itself should ALWAYS have 12 volts. Only the Trigger wire should be switched by the External Solenoid.

[villain]

I'm going to have to use the speed clip trick for my boxes as well. Great ingenuity!

[TitanTn]

I'm afraid that automotive guy wasn't correct about the starter. They're not sealed like marine starters, and unlike some "marine" stuff, it can make a real difference. I realize that you won't want to change again, so at least I'll ask that you run your blower a lot before starting. I really don't want to read about any bad starter experiences.

[92SupraComp]

I have to say, Supra has the best blower setup, but they still don't do jack. My blower is on the opposite side of the starter. And, the gas fumes rise, I just rais the engine cover on both of my boats, after 2 sec they are all cleared out and ready to go. Best blower ever, plus its silent...

[trayson]

Wait wait wait. Hold the phone. Thats right, you should have a mini high torque starter. How do you have it wired up? The correct wiring should be that the solenoid on the starter constantly has 12 volts, otherwise you have disengaging problems. And on the remote starter solenoid, the switched side should switch the wire that switches the solenoid on the starter its self.

Here, the input side of solenoid built into the starter itself should ALWAYS have 12 volts. Only the Trigger wire should be switched by the External Solenoid.

Yes, I am pretty confident that I have the starter wired correctly. The main boat power is double stacked on the starter relay with the power wire going down to the starter. The relay has the smaller yellow/red wire going from the other terminal to the solenoid. And remaining two wires on the relay are neutral safety switch (goes to transmission) and the brown one that I am not totally sure what it does.

Here's a pic of how it's wired:


And that matches the concept on this diagram and what you guys were talking about:


And here's a pic of how it looks at the starter end.

I'm afraid that automotive guy wasn't correct about the starter. They're not sealed like marine starters, and unlike some "marine" stuff, it can make a real difference. I realize that you won't want to change again, so at least I'll ask that you run your blower a lot before starting. I really don't want to read about any bad starter experiences.

Well, if they are seriously that different, then I could swap them back. The starter guy is rebuilding my PCM ARCO starter again for free. It'll be done soon. I was thinking about just keeping the automotive one since it has a lifetime warranty...

Changing the starter really isn't that big of deal. With the doghouse all the way off, it's damn easy to get to. Plus, I bought an upsized new zero gauge relay to solenoid wire (yes, completely overkill) so I'd have to get in there to change it anyway.

I found this description that ACTUALLY tells the difference in a marine vs. auto stater. Of course, it makes me question if the rebuild guy on my PCM will put it back together with the correct marine spark arrester plate and stuff. I am pretty sure he's replacing my bendix drive... Who knows, he could rebuild my starter w/o using the "marine" specific stuff and I could go to the effort to swap back and have a false sense of security...
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-...r-details.html

Would you likewise say that there's a big difference in the "marine" starter relay vs. the Ford 351 starter relay? I sure liked the immediate availability of the Ford relay and the $10 price tag...

[TitanTn]

I would definitely ask the starter guy if he put the marine parts back in. And if you're convinced he did, it's worth trying to switch them out again.

No, I don't think there's much of a difference in the relay itself. Many times when something is marinized, it's simply made with better, stronger, or less corrosive materials. No being in a salt environment, and when the components aren't safety related, and because I'm only on a lake and not the ocean, it's not a big deal to me. An example is the water pump on the block. An automotive one costs $20. A marine costs $120. I can buy 10 auto ones before I approach the cost of the marine one. And what happens when they go bad? They weep water. Is it hard to replace? Not at all. So why buy the marine? The ONLY difference is the stainless backing plate versus a steel one.

I don't blindly buy the marine version, but for starters it can be the difference between a safe boat ride, or Kaboom. I don't mess around with that one.

[trayson]

I would definitely ask the starter guy if he put the marine parts back in. And if you're convinced he did, it's worth trying to switch them out again.

No, I don't think there's much of a difference in the relay itself. Many times when something is marinized, it's simply made with better, stronger, or less corrosive materials. No being in a salt environment, and when the components aren't safety related, and because I'm only on a lake and not the ocean, it's not a big deal to me. An example is the water pump on the block. An automotive one costs $20. A marine costs $120. I can buy 10 auto ones before I approach the cost of the marine one. And what happens when they go bad? They weep water. Is it hard to replace? Not at all. So why buy the marine? The ONLY difference is the stainless backing plate versus a steel one.

I don't blindly buy the marine version, but for starters it can be the difference between a safe boat ride, or Kaboom. I don't mess around with that one.

I will ask...