I have a 97 Carver 355ACMY with twin 454 Crusaders that I have owned for 12 years. The boat is in the salt water, but I keep it looking new, and you can eat off my bilge. I do my own maintenance and keep everything in tip top shape. I read in a boating magazine (very reputable) that said after 10 years you should rebuild/replace your starters and alternators. Neither the alternators or starters have given me any issues, and they are the originals. My boat is 22 years old, so this winter I took off both starters and alternators and took them to a marine electrical shop to have them look at the equipment. They tested one alternator while I was there and said there is nothing wrong with it. I asked them to overhaul both of them and they said it would cost almost as much as new ones. I decided not to have them do anything. With the starters, they said that Crusaders have a new one that is half the size of the originals. Here's my questions, should I reinstall the original starters or purchase the new lighter ones and keep the old ones as spares? Should I do the same for the alternators? If I get new alternators, mine are 55A Mando, and I would be looking at increasing the amperage to (I think) 100A. Thanks for the help.
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Replace or reinstall starters and alternators
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Considering its the brushes that wear, there about $3.00 I prefer GM ones but the Korean ones work well too. The PMGR starters are smaller and lighter but if you can easily handel the oem type, then stick with them. Some PMGR`s use a plastic planetary gear . Any kickback from an ign issue/backfire will destroy it instead of just the bendix gear.
When I repowered my old boat I replaced the starters before putting the motors in the boat because they were hard to get to with the motors installed. I put the small starters on in place of the full size originals and they worked flawlessly.
I didn’t bother changing the alternators because, like yours, there was nothing wrong with them, They were very easy to get to with the motors in the boat so if I ever had a problem with one there was no big deal to change it.
I also took the opportunity to install all new belts and hoses.
Sold the boat after 4 seasons with the new motors and never had to repair or replace anything on them during that time.
I didn’t bother changing the alternators because, like yours, there was nothing wrong with them, They were very easy to get to with the motors in the boat so if I ever had a problem with one there was no big deal to change it.
I also took the opportunity to install all new belts and hoses.
Sold the boat after 4 seasons with the new motors and never had to repair or replace anything on them during that time.
I seriously doubt that you will ever wear out a starter on a boat; corrosion and rust are their enemies. Keep it away from salt water and they should last forever. Same is true with alternators. Consider how long they last in cars that get started and run much more than boats.
Alternators put out tons of juice. It's the regulator that keeps the amps at the designated rating. I got a 100 amp reg installed on my 55 amp reg about 15 years ago.
I replaced my starter with the permanent magnet starter when they used to cost $70. Still working.
I replaced my starter with the permanent magnet starter when they used to cost $70. Still working.
I believe the smaller permanent magnet starters are only available for Crusader standard LH/ CCW rotation engines. RH opposite-rotation engines would still use the original type with the full gear nose cone.
Check starter & alternator prices at DBElectical and Arco Marine. Their products work fine on my Crusaders.
Check starter & alternator prices at DBElectical and Arco Marine. Their products work fine on my Crusaders.
The nose cone are swapable. Their only function is to locate the starter to the two different diameters of the GM flywheels. Crusader, Merc, and most Volvo all get their blocks from GM or Ford. All bolt on components use the same mounting holes in the block.