My starter engages with the fly wheel fine with the voltage over 12.5V but if it drops any lower the gear on top of the Starter only spins about half way up, and won't engage.

It's getting frustrating to have to manually twist the gear up to the flywheel just to start the motor when I'm on the lake... lol

I guess I should have my starter rebuilt right?
Could it be anything OTHER than the Bendix?

Thanks

Try lubricating the bendix shaft. What engine do you have again?? I know you've posted it here, but I have a short memory.

'92 Johnson 115 V4.

Should I just lube it with some motor oil?

i had a 1990 evinrude 110 did the same thang and come to find out it had a bad cell in it. replace the battery and no more problems. just my .02

i'd check the state of the battery, may have enough to spin the bendix but not fully engage; battery like the man said, is my first stop!

I've already replaced the battery twice... this is the third one, and I know it's good.

Only other thing I can think of is maybe there's a voltage drop by the time it gets to the Starter.

Brushes in starter are probally bad...

If its the starter, I've got a good one off a 91 60hp Evinrude. It is the same one that is on my 81 115hp Rude.

I take that back. The two hole mounting tab is the same, but the single tab is in the center of the starter and not at the top. I guess the newer starter mounting was changed. If you can use let me know. Make you an awesome deal.

Take the starter of and take apart. Have seen some just get dirty and not work right. If brushes worn, you can get a kit to repair for less than 20.00 and not hard. You put brush housing on the armature first then slide housing over it, line up marks on housings and bolt together, put bendex back on. Go for it.

Couple drops 3in1 oil on bendix threads (too much will run down the shaft and short out the armature). No grease (attracts dirt).

Have you disconnected, cleaned and reconnected every cable from battery to solenoid to starter? I mean make 'em shine, use sandpaper if you have to. Check the battery cables for wear...they can corrode from the inside if the insulation gets nicked. Don't forget the battery negative cable connection to engine block.

Starter terminal disconnected, measure voltage at the starter cable end with key turned to "start" - needs to be within a couple or three tenths of battery open circuit voltage. If it's low, same measurement at solenoid (battery side). If that's good, then replace solenoid.

New battery doesn't mean bad battery. Why did you replace the other two batteries, did they fail a load test?

If you have the prestolite starter, it's obsolete but I found a brush set at fore & aft marine, $50 (kinda pricey). Probably coulda found generic brushes somewhere cheaper. The American Bosch starter is still in production, should be more reasonable.

Careful on disassembly, the springs might try to jump away from ya.

Don't use any solvents inside, just a soft cloth (I used an old toothbrush). No lubricants inside, either.

No need to remove bendix from starter.