00 Mirage Not Starting

[Alex_Cheba]

Hey Everyone,

New guy here with a first boat, my brother gifted me a 00' Sugar Sand Mirage Jet Boat, never had a boat before and do not know much about them, he said it was recently serviced and everything ran great last summer. The battery is dead so i tried to jump it to see if it starts, he mentioned the starter might have issues and that I could start it manually, so far I've jumped it and when I try to start there is a metal roller with a gear that spins but nothing else happens. Do you guys know how I can start it manually? or what the procedure is for starting one of these?

Thanks guys, any input is much appreciated!

 

[Evan Smith]

Hi Alex!

I have an '06 sugar sand and had to replace the starter on mine. The 2-stroke engines take a lot of cranking to get started but once they are warm, they will fire up great the rest of the day on the lake.

Found a started online for a pretty good deal. Just pull the old one off and put in the model number. It's a pretty straightforward changeout process. Make sure you pull the cables off the battery first.

 

[Alex_Cheba]

Thanks Evan, what i'm wondering is why its not even cranking? is the starter gear wheel supposed to line up with with the flywheel so spin it during the startup?

Thanks!

 

[Evan Smith]

Correct yes that little gear will "pop up" and engage with the flywheel and then you'll get some cranking. Make sure that you have a hose hooked up and are actively flushing water through the flushport. If not you can hurt the internals of the jet assembly. It will take some good cranking if it hasn't run in awhile.

 

[Alex_Cheba]

What might the issue be if the gear does not pop up? It just keeps spinning when i turn the key

 

[Evan Smith]

I'm not a mechanic but assuming it's just a bad starter. They get a lot of work in a 2-stroke.

 

[Stomp10]

@Alex_Cheba Try a little bit of dry lube on the starter gear shaft. Something like graphite powder will work but only the minimum amount possible.
Had a similar issue with mine where the gear wouldn't retract. There is a spiral shaft that drives the gear upwards to engage the flywheel when the starter spins. If this gets too dry it will stick. You don't want to use oil tho as all dirt will stick to the oily surfaces later.
In my case I used a dry bike lube, where it goes on as a liquid and the liquid evaporates and leaves the dry lube behind.
If your starter spins, it doesn't need replacing AFAIK.

 

[ekuest]

What might the issue be if the gear does not pop up? It just keeps spinning when i turn the key

Hey, did you get this fixed? I have the same issue where my starter spins but does not pop up to engage the flywheel. The boat started the other morning and then died a few seconds later because it was cold, nothing unusual, and when I tried to restart it just wouldn't go up!

 

[Alex_Cheba]

Hey, did you get this fixed? I have the same issue where my starter spins but does not pop up to engage the flywheel. The boat started the other morning and then died a few seconds later because it was cold, nothing unusual, and when I tried to restart it just wouldn't go up!

Yes I ordered a DB Electrical starter from amazon for about 70$ and changed out the spark plugs and it started right up.

 

[Stomp10]

@ekuest, If the starter sill spins when the key is turned try the dry lube trick above.
Also, disconnect battery and try to manually turn the gear clockwise. You should see it climb up the starter shaft. It may jam in the flywheel gear but if it moves then the lube ought to fix it.
Good luck!