Controller Model and Neutral Safety Switch issue

[mattmccoy]

Hello: I have A 2005 Tracker Party Barge 25 with a mercury 90HP outboard 2-stroke motor. I believe my neutral safety switch in the controller is bad but cannot locate a model number or even pictures on the net for my controller. It is a basic console mount with trim switch on the handle and center push button fast idle.

I can start the boat with key on jumping solenoid. Which leads me to believe my problem is the neutral safety switch in the controller. Can anyone tell me first, what the model of this controller is so I can look up and purchase a neutral safety switch? Second, can the neutral safety switch be bypassed to confirm that is the problem? There is a solid yellow and a yellow with red line leaving the back side of controller. I believe one goes directly to the key switch and the other goes to a wire connector with several other wires. I assume the group connector goes back to the motor and some type of sensor back there that is activated when the prop is actually in neutral. I understand this could also be a linkage problem but I have moved the controller into forward and reverse slowly with the key turned to start trying to "catch" but still nothing.

There is also a group of 3 or 4 wires coming out of the controller but I believe they are for the trim button which is working fine.

Thanks so much in advance for the help. I hate pulling the boat off the water in the middle of summer and hope to get this fixed asap and back to enjoying Indiana summer.

 

[Chris1956]

The neutral safety switch must be mounted where the throttle arm can open and close it. That means it is inside the control.

Your first move is to disassemble the control and look for the switch. Perhaps a wire broke, or the mechanical device that pushes the switch to close it is broken, or the switch came loose.

You may find a number on the switch itself, which you can use to source it.

 

[mattmccoy]

The neutral safety switch must be mounted where the throttle arm can open and close it. That means it is inside the control.

Your first move is to disassemble the control and look for the switch. Perhaps a wire broke, or the mechanical device that pushes the switch to close it is broken, or the switch came loose.

You may find a number on the switch itself, which you can use to source it.

Chris1956
Thanks for the response. I took your advice, disassembled the controller and identified the neutral safety switch. The plunger on the switch was dead. I found the exact switch, same manufacturer and model number at Granger. Installed new switch and the motor turned over a couple time as normal. Tried my trim switch on the handle as was reassembling and it now did not work. Then, tried to turn over motor and now same thing as before when the neutral safety switch did not work. At this point, I know the neutral safety was bad because of the dead plunger button on the switch. However, I seem to have something else going on. It appears there is a solid state fuse device mounted under the console but I do not know how to test if that failed other than bypassing it but concerned about damaging something else. I also believe there is a main fuse in the 90HP outboard motor housing of my 90 HP mercury I did not check last night. Any other suggestions?

Also, after taking back out the new switch, I disconnected and touched the two wires together to bypass the switch and turned ignition with no results. So, I am thinking I either popped a main fuse or have a short somewhere causing a fault.

 

[Chris1956]

A lot of motors do have fuses for power to the control. They are usually on the motor, near the starter solenoid, They would normally be on the red wire.

Of course, if the fuse is blown, it is likely you have a short circuit somewhere.