Thread: How to replace the starter in a 2001 Mercury 40HP ELPTO?

All due respect, but if you can't distinguish a ground, when to use a socket swivel, or use a meter, I recommend you take it to a reputable shop or dealer. Could save you lots on money and anguish in the long run, and you can refocus on the business end of the hook sooner.
However, if you insist, you can find the service manual on your motor on CD on Ebay, and they can prove quite handy. I have one on my 1991 Mercury 115 that I look thru from time to time, and personally I consider it priceless.

Originally Posted by TheGrandPoohBah

All due respect, but if you can't distinguish a ground, when to use a socket swivel, or use a meter, I recommend you take it to a reputable shop or dealer. Could save you lots on money and anguish in the long run, and you can refocus on the business end of the hook sooner.
However, if you insist, you can find the service manual on your motor on CD on Ebay, and they can prove quite handy. I have one on my 1991 Mercury 115 that I look thru from time to time, and personally I consider it priceless.

No problem at all. Not at all.

As I stated, I’m pretty ignorant but the accidental shorting happened after 90 minutes of working in the dark (the boat was in the back of a storage facility) while clenching a light in my mouth, pushing wires out of the way, being tired, hot and sweaty, and trying to hold the darn huge jumper cables from the battery onto the starter ground terminal and then touch the positive clamp to (what I thought) the exposed starter’s power terminal nut which turned out to be a different nut less than an inch away (from the nut on the starter terminal I had just tried a minute before) AND that this terminal was (hopefully in this case) actually just a ground…and didn’t cause any damage. Hopefully…

“A man got’s to know his limitations” someone famous once said, and I sure do!

And, I found that online manual as a PDF download for free on Monday night at
MERCURY 40 SERVICE MANUAL Pdf Download | ManualsLib

So when the parts arrive, I will have that as a guide and, hopefully, obtain someone more knowledgeable (and capable) to assist me!

I ended up ordering both the starter and a solenoid - DB Electrical SAB0031 Starter and a DB Electrical 240-22061 Solenoid.

They are “suppose” to be compatible with a multitude of Mercury engines, including mine…I hope!

As for a socket swivel, I know what that was but only had a basic socket and wrench set with me on Sunday. I have already laid out the tools I should have had, or, waited on to use instead of rushing to see what I could get accomplished last Sunday.

I guess I could also blame Krispy Kreme.

Why? Well I had bought a dozen as a treat to take on our fishing trip thinking they don’t have a Krispy Kreme in his town but didn’t know that he too was a diabetic and he only ate one. I won’t say how many I ate on the way home after going through the aforementioned…LOL

Hmmmmm. I guess I will need to write a story about all this…

Doesn't sound like the best working conditions

LOL. No it wasn't but when I get on something, it's difficult for me to quit. Just read some of my old stories where I went fishing a looonnnnggg time. Hate to quit.

Sometimes things go down hill. Kind of like quicksand. Once you get in it. Everything you try seems to drag you under just a little more

Thanks for being in good spirit, and best wishes on your repair!
Sometimes, when a swivel socket is not available, I have had good luck with an off set box end wrench, or improvise.
When you do get to business, be sure to disconnect the battery. I had a power trim switch at the transom go bad once, in the middle of the night while boat was in the garage, and it burnt up the electric trim motor. When I replaced the trim motor and switch, I also installed disconnect switches to all batteries. Battery switches are OFF now at least 99% of the time when the boat is on the trailer.
Darnest things happen at the worst possible times, I'm tellin' ya!
Best wishes!

Strange things happen all the time in my life to the point I was annointed with the nickname Dark Cloud back in the early 1990's.

This boat was sabatoged several years ago at a state duck hunting area. The boat was swamped and the motor either shorted and the tilt/trim raised all the way up, or someone did it. Then while we hunted using a different boat, someone then came in and stole one of two batteries under the seat. Now I have it padlocked.

Hadn't had issues since related to that. Again, at least to me, the starter has acted strange for quite awhile. What I mean is occasionally you would turn the key to start and it would start to engage but then it wouldn't turn over or go past that point. I just thought that was, and maybe still is, normal. I just don't have the experience (obviously).

At first I thought it was the battery 10 days ago as it hadn't been charged after its last run - which lasted more than 12 hours. It was an overnight into the morning fishing trip where we started it a number of times. And, I should mention, this motor is many times difficult to start due to the fuel line from a six-gallon tank, through the hose and then onto the connection on the motor. From day one six years ago, the ball on that hose or any hose will lose firmness and it can take a lot of priming to get it firm again and the motor to start. Tried new hoses, new tanks, new fittings, etc., but haven't replaced the motor fitting if memory serves me right. I just today placed an order for that fitting and will see if that helps.

Thank you all again!

Couple of years ago my primer bulb got mushy and was taking a long time to get the job done. Later, while in Walmart, I saw an Attwood Bulb that says it is 33% bigger than stock, so I bought it. Much better than what I had, I put new lines on last year and reused the Attwood bulb. It is definitely harder to squeeze but seems effective.
Hopefully some crazy ex or someone has not wished bad ju ju on your boat, the black cloud gets chased away, and that motor gets you up on a good plane soon to a well loaded crappie hole!