Boat won't start (electrical problem) Please help!

[Christopher]

I took the starter to Autozone and they tested it. It worked great.

I remember that when I was touching the wires together to bypass the relay that there was no spark. Even though I was reading 12.6 volts on the side coming from the battery it seemed like it should spark when I touch the wires together. But when I touch those wires together the power goes dead. Oh this sucks.

[M3Fan]

Ok, check the ground wire going from the block to the battery. If that is not it, I'm fresh out of ideas.

And, don't worry. starter issues are a laugh in the grand scheme of what could go wrong with a boat. This is nothing! It'll all work, don't fret.

[mrese]

It is interesting that you got sparks with the igniton terminal but not to the starter terminal. If you are brave enough the hold two wires together in effort to trouble shoot, you can take a good set of jumper cables and connect the batt pos terminal to the starter. I would disconnect the pos boat cable from the battery as well as the cable going to the starter. I am assuming you have a non perm magnet starter, and that previous owners didn't install a new starter with a solinoid on top. Be care holding wires or connecting straight line from the batt to the starter. That is the kind of stuff which launchs boats off of lifts and what not.

Ensure that each and every connection and ground is clean and tight. This can't be stressed enough. Even if the starter is faulty, you should have gotten a little something when you connected the large terminals if your cables are good and the grounds are solid.

Please excuse the question, but when you checked and found no power at the starter or starter side of the the relay, was the key in the far right, start position.

Once you take the starter off, hook your multimeter up the the loose end of the cable from the relay. Turn the key to start and see if the voltage drops to zero or gets something above 11.

[Christopher]

Ok I will try that tomorrow. Thanks for the help.

[rocco]

Go get a Relay for 8 bux and try it.....I did all you are talking about ,,I too said The Starter,,I took it and had it Tested..and it was great..
On my old 85,WHEN THE RELAY CLICKS ONE TIME ITS BLOWN..
AND YOU HAVE NO POWER TO THE DASH OR ANYTHING....like M3fan said you have to start to wade out every options,,,start at the battery and work from there out......

[Christopher]

Ok cool. I will try anything at this point. Especially if it doesn't cost a lot. Does it have to be a Marine relay? If not what vehicle do you tell them at the autoparts store. Or is it a univesal part? I just can't understand why it didn't crank the starter when I bypassed it. Maybe the wires are too coroded. I think I will try to clean the ends of the wires and also the wires in the dash.

[M3Fan]

It has to be a marine relay, order it from SkiDim just to have one as a backup anyway. Let's leave the relay out of the equation right now since he jumped across it with no luck. I'm still suspecting grounding issues.

[Hollywood]

rocco brings up a good point to remember:

one click = bad relay

multiple clicks = not enough power from battery

[rocco]

Chris....
Go to NAPA store,,they got the relays,,,,A cheap one for 8 bux or so..
and the marine one for about 25 bux,,get the cheap one to see if that works,,,,if it does go back get the Marine one....hope this helps......

[ccskier16]

After reading all these symptoms, relay starter is your problem.

[M3Fan]

After reading all these symptoms, relay starter is your problem.

If you read carefully, you'll see he actually held the lead from the battery to the lead going to the starter and got no spark. This takes the relay out of the picture completely, because that's all the relay does. He tested the starter and the starter is fine on the bench. I'll be amazed if it isn't a grounding or cable issue.

[SGY]

Jeff. Yeah, it was that problem that you guys helped me with last year. I could have sworn I filled you guys in on the aftermath. I love giving my buddy a hard time for jumping his SN over the lift.

Another friend had a similar problem. He replaced the battery cables and no problems since. Could this be it?

[Hollywood]

Well let's review shall we:

Battery = O.K.

Relay = O.K.

Starter = O.K.

What else is there? I got $5 on battery cables. We cut new ones from 2 guage amp power wire, super conductive and much more flexible for routing.

[rocco]

Your right Hollywood...My problem a few years back on my 85 sn.
was about the same here????
Took starter off (checked out good).....What I did..Put new battery on,
can't remenber the size BUT bigger and alot shorter to carry the Volts,
and New Relay,,,When my Relay when out,,the old Battery cables got so HOT you could'nt touch them,,,So bigger and shorter was better...
From then on I carried about 4 Relays on Board..............
Its a Big Headache.........But you got to love BOATING...

[Christopher]

I am curious about the realy. I heard that the relay boosts the amps going to the starter so is it possible that you can't straight line a old relay becasue the starter wouldn't get enough amps? ex 1989