04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

[alandchris]

Gents
I'm at a loss for the moment. I have an 04 Merc 9.9 standard longshaft - remote steer/ electric start. I just picked it up from a local guy. He started it but now on my boat I cannot get it started. I don't have a clue as to how the factory (Tracker 2001 Pro Angler V16) wired it up for electric start.

I know that both batteries are fully charged (tested them) - and both are brand new. All the accessories work - just can't start the motor. I don't know how to test the ignition switch to see if that is the cause of the problem.

Is it true that the battery cable from the starting battery goes directly to the ignition switch - but positive and negative sides ? Or does it go into the controls and then to the ignition switch? I thought that when you have the battery cable connected to the battery - you should be able to take a tester to the ignition switch and put the black/neg on the ignition terminal with the solid black wires and then the red/pos on the terminal with the solid red wire, turn the ignition on - and the tester goes on ? Am I wrong ? I then left the black/neg on the black wire terminal and move the red tester side - touching all terminals with the igntion off, and then tested all with ignition on - no succesful test. What am I doing wrong. I have an 8 pin plug from the engine - and it was hooked up.

One thing to note - the 8 pin harness on the motor only has 7 "female" ends - could the 1 missing one be the culprit ? If I recall correctly the guy who I bought the motor from hooked up the motor inside the cowl to the battery with jumpers even with his boat / and this motors 8 pin connector plugged in.

As a PS to this - I have new controls totally separate from the boat and does not have anything to do with the above info - but it has an 8 pin connector and then also another connector that has a plug on it with 4 wires - a black, purple, grey and brown wire. Can anyone tell me what these wires mean - do they hook up to the battery via a battery cable - which wire does what

Thx for any help before I go to the marina for them to fix.

Al

 

[alandchris]

Re: 04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

if its any help - my current igntion switch as 6 tabs in the back of it -
M(raised up from the other 5 below) has 2 black wires with yellow stripes
B - 1 solid red wire
M (another M? why?) this has 3 solid black wires to it
A - has 3 solid purple wires
C - has 1 solid yellow wire
S - has 1 yellow wire with red stripes

Does this wiring sound correct - what does the above mean ?

Thx again for any help

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

The large battery cables from the battery DO NOT go to the ignition switch. The NEG cable from the battery connects to the engine block. The POS cable connects to the starter solenoid. There is another smaller gauge red wire connected to the solenoid terminal that the POS battery cable connects to. That wire is what feeds the harness that feeds 12V to the control box. The small terminal on the starter solenoid is what energizes the solenoid when the key is turned to start which connects the two large terminals which operates the starter. Now the next question is "when you say the engine doesn't start" do you mean it the starter engages and the engine spins but doesn't run, or do you mean the starter doesn't engage. Those are two distinctly different problems.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

B = Battery (this is the 12V input to the switch from the battery via the engine harness.
C = choke (this is energized when you push in on the key. It activates the primer solenoid.
M = Magneto (or ignition). This line is one of two that are shorted when you turn the key OFF, It kills the engine. The kill switch is also wired to this terminal.
M (the other one) is the ground side of the kill switch circuit.
S = Start (This is the line that is energized when you turn the key to start. It activates the starter solenoid that energizes the starter.
A = Accessory (This terminal has +12V on it when the key is in the on (RUN) position. It feeds the gauges and other accessories that you want to turn on and off with the key.

 

[alandchris]

Re: 04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

Good Morning
Thx for the reply Silvertip

There is NO starter engagement - no clicking - nothing, just silent. This is while using the current control box and ignition installed in the boat. That is why I wanted to check to see if the ignition switch was 'bad' or perhaps the wiring harness currently attached to the engine.

The batteries are fully charged, all the fuses are new. The current engine wiring harness has an 8 pin connector and one of those pins (female side) is missing - meaning one of the boats wiring harness 8 pins is doing 'nothing'.

As I mentioned before - the guy who I bought the engine from put this motor next to his other motor on his boat and hooked up jumper cables from the battery to the engine and it did start and run fine. Note that he First tried to connect the boat's and engine's 8 pin wiring harness (no jumper cables) and it did not start ie did not spin - silent. I wonder if this is the clue that I don't understand - using the jumper cables hooked to the engine - then using the ignition to start it. (to be honest, I'm not sure what he hooked the pos and neg sides of the jumper cables to on the engine).

Al

 

[TriadSteeler]

Re: 04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

You need to start eliminating failure points.

1. You already stated that the batteries are fresh. Cancel that.
2. Unplug the external harness and check for resistance between the pins and the endpoints (you will need a manual to see which pin matches with which color wire).
3. The manual will also tell you which posts on the ignition switch will be active based on the key position. Check all posts with a multimeter from the Off-Run-Start positions. This way you can eliminate the switch.

4. Trace all the connections from the internal harness and make sure that they are all connected. Especially make sure the connection to the starter solenoid are tight and clean. It sounds to me that the seller started the motor by grounding the (-) jumper and connected the (+) to the starter solenoid. Obviously the juice isn't getting there from the harness.

Also

 

[alandchris]

Re: 04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

thx TriadSteeler

i'll check the pins - do i need a multi-tester for this or will a simple light tester work ? where the light comes on if juice passes thru it ?

ps you had "also" at the end of your reply - was there more ?

 

[alandchris]

Re: 04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

OK -
so the manual doesn't tell me which pin matches the color wire, nor does it tell me which posts are active on the ignition switch based on the key position so....

Can someone confirm this - I will do the following - is there anything else I can do :

1) as Triadsteeler says: Trace all the connections from the internal harness and make sure that they are all connected. Especially make sure the connection to the starter solenoid are tight and clean. It sounds to me that the seller started the motor by grounding the (-) jumper and connected the (+) to the starter solenoid. Obviously the juice isn't getting there from the harness.

2) If I jump the connection between the 2 heavy lugs on the starter solenoid (battery and starter) - and this starts the engine with the key on - then the internal engine wire harness is bad - replace that
or
3) If I jump the starter solenoids "battery" lug to the light gauge key switch lug - and it starts then the ignition key switch is bad - replace that

Am I off base here ?

Al

 

[alandchris]

Re: 04 Merc 9.9 won't start - ?ignition switch?

i did the 3 things from my last email
1) all wires checked out, tight - only 1 wire a green with white strip is not connected on the motor - there is only a purple wire in the harness - I don't think that has to do with the ignition if I recall the colors correctly.

2) jumping the 2 lugs on the selenoid did nothing - no starter engagement when turning the ignition switch on.

3) jumping the battery lug and the ignition lugs(small gauge) terminals did nothing as well when turning the ignition switch on.


Anyone know the next step ?