72 Evinrude 85 293R with electronic shift wont start

[Ethansdad]

Good evenind. My apologies if I sound amatuer here as I am new to boating. I recently purchased a 72 Arrow Glass 15' trihull with a Evinrude 85 HP with electric shift. I am having problems getting motor to start and Just recently discovered the gearshift is stuck in forward. I have read a couple of threads where other guys have same issue, but my question is should motor still start even while in gear?. I originally thought it was the starter but had that checked out and it is fine.Any help would be greatly appreciated . Thanks

 

[oldboat1]

I’ll work from memory (Mine was a ’70). If the gearshift is stuck, check the throttle cable. (There is also a button to adjust tension on the lever, so check that too — may be overtightened)

Starting procedure would be to place the gearshift in idle (straight up), push the neutral button, and turn the key to crank. It’s true the electric shift defaults to forward when shut down, but will be in neutral in a millisecond when starting.

You should not be able to crank the engine with the reverse or forward button depressed, nor if the throttle lever is advanced. If the neutral button is pushed, you may need to rock the throttle lever a little bit in the idle (upright) position while turning the key.

If the engine is cranking but not starting, try using the manual choke override to start.

 

[F_R]

Hydro-Electric shift is always in forward gear when not running. That's the way it was made.

Now if you are saying the starer will not run, then it is a possibility that the push button switch is bad. The neutral button must be pushed in order for the starter to operate. But that is not the only possibility. So don't go running out to buy that expensive shift switch. TEST. If you don't know how, either learn or consult somebody that does know how.

 

[Ethansdad]

thanks for the info. Ive tried it and it seems like the starter wont turn the fly wheel. it will with spark plugs removed. I tried to manually turn it and there is lots of compression (havent used a guage yet) Ive depressed the neutral switch several times and nothing. I hear a click in the motor but the prop still wont free up.after reading some of the threads on here i assume the shifting mechanism is stuck but i also read that the motor should still turn over. even if locked in foward.

 

[Ethansdad]

also Is this motor worth repairing or should I just start looking for something more modern? I only paid $500 for the whole setup

 

[jimmbo]

Personally I like those older motors, the gears and clutch dogs tend to last a long long time because they shift very quick, unlike the unassisted shift designs. However, parts are getting harder to find and can be pricey.
Are the battery cables good, and are all the connections clean and tight? You might have a bad switch in the control box, interlocks that prevent starting at too high of throttle setting, or in gear. Once the cranking issue is corrected, don't spend another penny until you do a compression test. Also check for water in the gearcase. If those check fine, then move on to checking for spark. You may have to replace all the fuel lines, carb cleaning. Water pump impeller replacement is a must.

As F_R said the motor shifts to forward when ever it is not running, or when the shift solenoids do not have power. The shift solenoids do not move the clutch dog. All they do is move a valve which will direct oil under pressure to move the shift mechanism. That is why the engine needs to be rotating, to run an oil pump in the gearcase.

 

[jbuote]

I'll echo jimmbo here, in that I have a 1971 50hp Hydro Electric shift, and I love it!
It's a good little engine.

Like the others said, make sure your electrical connections are shiny clean, including grounds.
Anything that gets grounded by being bolted on should be removed and mating surfaces cleaned since that is the ground connection. (Starter for example).

I had to remove and clean the grounding lug on my power head as it was corroded which was my starting issue.
Mine wouldn't turn the flywheel with the plugs in either, but it would turn it all day long with the plugs out..

Once that's all set, do that compression test and spark test as others have said above.
As long as compression is good, it's worth it in my mind anyway.
Might even use jumper cables to the starter to get the compression test done so you at least have that baseline health before going to far with it.

Most of the general engine parts seem to be readily available. (coils, gaskets, carb kits etc..)
It's the parts for the Hydro Electric shifting (shift buttons, solenoids, etc..) that are hard to find, pricey, and in a lot of cases, no longer available so you'd have to rely on things like ebay to find one..

I'll also echo the others in that the prop won't "free up" no matter how many times you push the neutral button with the engine off. Engine has to be running or at least turning with starter in order for the LU fluid to cause the shift to actually happen.

Another thing... You CAN'T use just any lower unit gear oil...
You MUST use "Type C" gear oil.. I've read that not all "Type C" fluids are equal, so I've always made sure when I buy it, the bottle says "For Electric Shift" on it..

Going to follow along here and see how you make out with it!

 

[jimmbo]

BRP markets Type C as Premium Blend.

 

[F_R]

As regards the issue at hand, ie slow or no cranking with plugs in but does crank with them out----get your eyes off the shift or anything else and get them on the starting circuit.

Refer to the attached wiring diagram. The heart of the system is the battery. You are wasting your time unless you know for a fact that the battery is good. Electricity leaves the + terminal and flows through the heavy cable to the starter solenoid. When the solenoid is activated, electricity flow out the other side, and through the heavy cable to the starter. It flows through the starter and out to ground (actually the engine block). It then flows through the engine block to the neg (-) battery cable and back to the battery.

This is called a "circuit". Electricity flows from the battery, through the affected parts and back to the battery. Anything that obstructs that flow is called a "resistance". The resistance can be corroded connections, a bad solenoid, a bad starter, or eaten-away cables. It is up to you to find that resistance. A pro would use a voltmeter to find it. But he knows what is normal--or not.

Some other thoughts: It is possible that the engine is too hard to turn. The rest of the electrical system is working, that is the control, shift switch, etc, etc. We know that because it at least tries to crank. And of course, the starter may be defective.

Short story: Start with the battery and check the circuit that is involved and get your eyes off the other stuff that has nothing to do with cranking.

 

[Ethansdad]

Thanks for very helpful advice. Got good news and bad news. I got it to start! looks like it was the battery cables that were the issue (corroded on the inside). I dont think they have ever been replaced.. Now the bad news. I didnt see any water coming out of the exhaust so Im assuming that the water pump impellar need to be replaced. Does anyone know what the replacement kit part # is? Are there any other components that I need to get as well. On a note I didnt let unit run very long when I noticed the issue, And I think the cabs can use a real good cleaning. I had to spray fuel directly into intake . Also any insight on how to do these tasks is greatly appreciated. Also Im noticing there are a couple wires that arent connected to anything and concerns me.

 

[F_R]

If I were doing the job, I would take it apart and look at the pump before buying any parts. If it still has the original aluminum pump housing, I would replace the whole thing with the updated plastic pump with stainless steel liners. Part number 384465 is the complete updated pump.

However, if it already has the plastic pump, all you need is a new impeller.