Is this a starter relay

[Bryan M]

I have an Elysian Maderia 27 with Newage/BMC 1500 engines and one of the starter motors is being intermitent. When this happens I can't hear any 'click' from a solenoid, so I'm trying to identify the starter solenoid - does this look like it? If so what would be the best replacement?

 

Many thanks for the suggestions! 

[David Mack]

Looks like it may be a relay, but in order to determine whether it is a starter relay we need to know where those 4 wires go.

[bizzard]

What about the other starter motor, does it have one too, and does it click when starting its engine?

[Tony Brooks]

It is an old style Lucas relay and almost any modern 4 terminal, or 5 terminal and ignore one terminal "square box" type relay will do as long as it is rated at 10  amps plus. It may well be a starter terminal, but at that age of boat it may have had or still have a Lucas 10 or 11AC alternator, and if so it could be related to the charging system.

 

 

[Kingdom Isambard Brunel]

The starter solenoid is the big can on top of the starter motor.It will be a pre-engaged starter, not an inertia bendix starter.

Your pic is a relay. It may well energise the solenoid to save wear on the ignition switch. You need to find out where the wires go to and then use a multimeter to find out why you do not have power to the small terminal on the end of the solenoid which energises the solenoid when you try to start.

[Onewheeler]

It may also be a heater relay. Some (all?) of the BMC 1.5s had long thin heaters which didn't draw much current. You'll have to follow the wires.