Motor Trims but won't start

[RickisCool]

The boat I bought had its stern sunk in the water, mind you it was a freshwater lake. The motor that was on the boat when it sunk was a 1994 Mariner. I got rid of that motor and now have a 1993 Mercury 115hp ELPTO on my boat. The trim motor has power and works fine but the engine won't start. All I hear when I turn the key is a faint click sound. I tested the solenoid and it works fine. Replaced the old ignition switch located on the drivers dash, still nothing. I was wondering since the old motor was a Mariner and my new motor is a Mercury that some wires aren't agreeing with one another and need to be replaced with Mercury wires. The next thing I was going to try is the wiring harness.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Clean your battery cable contacts on both pos and neg cables from batt all the way to the starter

 

[alldodge]

Have a look here for the wiring diagram
http://www.maxrules.com/mercwireindex.html

 

[RickisCool]

Clean your battery cable contacts on both pos and neg cables from batt all the way to the starter

I already did that.

 

[Bondo]

I already did that.

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... So follow the Power with a test light,....

Obviously either the starter ain't gettin' Power, or the starter is Bad,....

 

[The Bob R]

The click is likely the starter relay being activated by the ignition switch. The starter relay should then complete the connection between the battery +V and the starter motor. As previously suggested, clean both +/- battery connections and also check voltage at the battery: should be +12 to +13 volts. Also check the +V when the ignition switch is "ON". See if is drops below +12V. The relay may not be completing the connection, even though it may be clicking, due to dirty contacts or gummed up activator or weak battery. Check that there is the same +V to the relay (from the battery) and look for +V out to the starter motor when the ignition switch is "ON". If no +V leaving relay, replace relay. Then check for the same +V at the starter when the ignition switch is "ON". Also check for a direct ground (0 ohm continuity) return from the starter motor to the - battery post. Make sure all the connections you see are "bright and tight". If all checks are good, it may be time to replace the starter motor.