1961 40 H.P. Johnson Seahorse drains battery

[Saskatoon2005]

Please help me. I have a 1961 Johnson Seahorse. If you leave the key in the "on" position...(so the motor runs), it drains the battery. So I am unable to troll. can any one help me figure it out? I love my boat motor but I need it to work properly. <br /> It may help you out to know that even if I shut the motor off and leave the battery hooked up to the boat (ignition and motor) it drains as well. I would like to know if it the solonoid, or the starter? How can one find out this information? Thanks in advance as you guys have been such a great help in the past...I loved this website last year...and now I am back! Hopefully spring is just around the corner for me...burrrr...cold! Thanks again!

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1961 40 H.P. Johnson Seahorse drains battery

Does your outboard have a generator?<br /><br />Do you have a multimeter? Here's a couple tests you might try to get started. Set the meter to the 10 amp setting. You may need to put the positive probe in a different hole for that. Disconnect the positive battery cable, then touch the red meter lead to the positive battery terminal and the black one to the positive battery cable. Take an amp reading - this is how much the battery is being bled. When you get it to go to zero, you've fixed the problem.<br /><br />Another helpful test is to check the solenoid. Set the meter to Ohms (resistance), disconnect the battery and put each meter lead on each big terminal on the solenoid. If you measure anything below a few tens of kiloohms, disconnect the wires on the big terminals on the solenoid and check it again. If it's still reading high, the solenoid is leaking.<br /><br />It can't possibly be the starter. It's not part of the circuit when the engine is not being cranked. It could be the solenoid, keyswitch, regulator (if present), or a miswired outboard. This schematic should be close to yours:<br /> http://www.shareaproject.com/fullImages/2627.jpg <br /><br />And this one I drew is a little more clear:<br /> http://www.shareaproject.com/fullImages/2627.jpg <br /><br />Hope that helps!

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 1961 40 H.P. Johnson Seahorse drains battery

I have a vacuum cut-out switch and I have to breaker plate and I have the starter and battery and solonoid. Everything else has been removed from my motor...no fuses or anything like it. So the wiring is much simpler. <br /> I hope it is just the solonoid. The starter runs perfect, and I hope you are right about it not being the problem. Thanks for your help...