200 opti starter jamming on flywheel???

[Dirt69]

hey guys recently i picked up a new to me 2003 519vx with a 03 200 optimax on it. When i first got the boat home i was showing my papa the new rig and when i went to fire it up for him the started jammed on the fly wheel, after doing some looking we noticed the teeth on the fly wheel had signs of the starter jamming before and starter gear tips were worn.. couple days later i looked more into why my starter may have jammed and when looking at my starter and wiggling it i noticed i could wiggle/turn my starter left/right (not the bendix gear the whole starter) i figured the mounting bolts were loose but when i took the wrench to the 4 of them they were extremely tight.. when i changed the starter on my old mans 225 etec i dont remember it being able to wiggle or twist left/right like mine.. i went out twice using the boat and the starter never jammed once.. until yesterday when leaving a spot it happend.. i did what i did before to fix it by just punching in the password on the key pad and pressing start.. did it 3 more times on me then finally started.. after stopping at the next spot i started and killed the motor a 3 times and on the 4th start it jammed.. repeated the password move and it fired right up.. anybody ever have this happen? is my starter going out the door? appreciate any advice thanks!


motor: 2003 merc opti 200hp
motor serial # :0T774710
battery voltage:12.5V each time this has happend+connection is tight
436hr not sure if it is factory starter

[EuropeanAM]

Remove starter and check for the rubber "bumper" (fits on the triangulated portion that indexes against the cylinder block). If this is MISSING or DAMAGED, or if the start is improperly mounted (not clocked properly), the drive gear may jam or hang in the flywheel.

Also keep in mind that the drive gear is driven out of the flywheel by the flywheel speed increasing and exceeding starter speed (ie: engine starting). This differs from most automotive units that have massive bendix springs.

BTW... Moving your thread to the 3L Forum for you.

[Dirt69]

thank you!