250 SHO oil level rising Starter bendix not engaging when the motor is warm

[ZERO]

I purchased a used 250 SHO with 250 hours.

The motor has 6 months of warranty left on it and it passed inspection at the dealer prior to the purchase.

The original owner said that he did not have any issues with the motor making any oil. The oil level was about an inch above the lowest whole on the stick when I picked it up from the dealer. The 3rd time out ( about 2 hours run time) the starter Bendix would not engage and once it did the starter would barely spin as if the battery was low. I put the motor on a battery by itself ( 24 series 1000 cc ) hoping to eliminate any low voltage issues. Went out again and once the motor ran for a littlie bit and tried to restart it if the bendix did spin up it would barely turn over but would crank . The volt meter is between 13-14 volts and the battery test at 12.8 volts.

I took the cowl of to check the Bendix and connections. All connections seemed clean and tight. I sprayed a small amount of WD-40 on the Bendix to see if this would help. I then checked the oil level and noticed that it is even with the second hole (highest recommended level). A lot higher than it was when I picked it up from the dealer.


Motor runs fine once started and performs well.

Any advice on what to do is welcome .


Thank you in advance.

[kry29]

Get it back to the dealer and get the starter issue fixed. For the oil issue it probably just needs to be ran hard a little

[Rich Z]

I dont know of any 24 series marine battery capable 1000cc. As a minimum you need a 27 or 29 series battery. Inspect both ends of the battery cables. If these cables are old and were on your boat for many years they maybe internaly corroded creating a lot of resistance.

[jethro1]

Check the voltage to the starter motor at the starter motor while the motor is being cranked. Voltage at the battery means little if it cannot make its way to the starter motor. What is the voltage?

As Rich notes, the battery has to be able to maintain voltage while supplying lots of current and the wires and connections all have to be in good condition to convey that voltage and current to the starter motor.

Four strokes can be fussy when it comes to checking the oil level. If not done according to Hoyle they can fool the best of boaters into thinking there is not enough oil or there is too much oil. If indeed the oil level is rising over time there are some things that you can do to try and mitigate the problem.

[ZERO]

Thanks for the replies.

couple more questions.

all cables are new. If the battery spins the motor good and cranks good cold should the battery be enough to crank the motor when it is warmed up?

Could one of the cylinders be filling up with gas causing the motor to be difficult for the starter to spin the motor?

[kry29]

Pull your spark plugs. If there is a problem cylinder that should let you know. But it doesn't sound like that's an issue. Something in the starter circuit is the culprit from the sounds of it

[ZERO]

thank you

[bgibson]

Oil level is tricky with these engines like said before. You must trim them up for 5-10 minutes then level engine for another 5-10 minutes to get an accurate reading. I think your fine on that regard just run it hard from time to time to burn off any fuel. These engines need heat and to be run. As for battery, there is in fact a 24 series battery that has 1000cc I had one for a season. The problem is they just don't have the reserve capacity (RC) for all the accessories (graphs, pumps, radio etc) and still have enough to crank the big engine. Also a warm engine cranks over easier.

[ZERO]

Thank s everyone.

a new starter has fixed thy starting issues so far

[kry29]

Good deal. Now you can get the oil issue fixed. Go run that baby. I've noticed that unless the oil change is done exactly right the oil level will come up in the first few hours after it's been changed. There is some trapped oil that you have to get out and some dealers don't take the time to do that. You can either get all of it out or leave it at the bottom of the dio stick level and it will rise some. Sounds like yours is still making a little though. Keep a good eye on it but give it a few good hard runs.

[ZERO]

Thank you for the advice . it runs great the past couple times out.