Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

jsarasota · May 27, 2004

After using my ’94 Sea Rayder (Mercury SportJet 90HP, OE051091, bullet connectors, red stator) for the entire summer, one day the boat just wouldn’t start. It would crank, but not ignite. I took it to a local shop, where they diagnosed a problem with the stator and voltage regulator. Simple repairs, I thought. So, I decided to order the parts and do it myself. After replacing these parts, the boat was dead – turning the key did nothing (does not crank). After running through the tests in my Clymer manual, it looks like everything from the battery to key switch is working fine. However, with everything connected to the keyswitch, there is a drop from 13V to minimal voltage in the purple (red/purple) wire when the key is on (says “I’m on” to the engine). The battery tests fine. When I disconnect the engine side of things, the voltage at the switch is OK – no drop. I tried testing the wiring from the switch to the harness, and that appears to pass voltage OK. Something seems to be reducing the voltage on the engine side of the switch, although I can’t say for sure that is the problem. I bypassed the kill switch to eliminate it from the equation. The interlock switch is working as expected. 13V is getting to the solenoid. Any ideas? Thanks in advance for your help. James, Sarasota, FL

kenimpzoom · May 27, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

You must have crossed some wires somewhere. Unplug all the voltage regulator wires and see what happens. Does your motor have the fuse on the side of the engine? Have you checked this? Remember, the motor doesnt need a battery to run, it only needs a battery to start. If the stator and trigger and switch box are all wired correctly, the motor should start if you jump the 12V large battery wire to the solenoid. Ground the yellow/black wire from the switchbox to kill the engine. You dont need the voltage regulator plugged in for the motor to run. Ken

jsarasota · May 28, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

> You must have crossed some wires somewhere. That was my first thought. Everything has been double-checked. > Unplug all the voltage regulator wires and see > what happens. Did this. No difference. > Does your motor have the fuse on the side of the > engine? Have you checked this? Yes. Fuse is OK. > he motor should start if you jump the 12V large > battery wire to the solenoid I have not tried this, in part, because I thought the motor probably would run if the electronics were working. Could it be a bad switch box? Would this be a syptom? There is so little information out there. Thanks, James

Capt Ken · May 28, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

And how much time, money and headaches are you saving by not allowing the shop repair it?

RIDEPATE · May 28, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

He's trying to do it himself, which I have much respect for..........obivoiusy he knows enough about stators and switch-boxes to try to fix it. A shop will just do what he's doing. Poke and hope, and his way the diagnosis time is free!!! How's Thomas Drive these days??

Capt Ken · May 29, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

If the shop didn't charge him to troubleshoot the engine, was it fair to use their time and knowledge so he could repair it himself? What if the shop was incorrect and he bought the wrong parts? Electronic parts are non returnable once purchased. If he had allowed the shop to repair the engine, he would have a warranty and probably be running by now. Also, if he has connected some of the wiring incorrectly, he could have possibly shorted some of the new electronics and is now chasing his tail. Thomas Drive has been a steady stream of boats for the last two days. Never seen so many folks in all my life.

jsarasota · May 29, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

> And how much time, money and headaches are you > saving by not allowing the shop repair it? In dollars, I'm still under 40%. The shop was price-gouging on the parts. Headaches? Saving a bunch. If they had swapped the parts and it didn't fix it, I would still be paying. I've never encountered a repair shop that guaranteed their service would actually "fix" the problem. Does yours? Maybe I'll drive over. > If the shop didn't charge him to troubleshoot > the engine, was it fair to use their time and > knowledge so he could repair it himself? To me, that would be unethical. I did pay and thank them for their time. Unfortunately, they left me with a few surprises. For example, they busted one of my trailer taillights. They also agreed to put the motor back together for the fee I paid, but when I got home, it was in pieces. I would have returned to have them fix these items, but I didn't need them doing any more damage. Nor did I need to waste any more time driving back and forth. I can work on the boat at home at night, but I have to deal with them during working hours. > What if the shop was incorrect and he bought the > wrong parts? That is a possibility. Their suggested repair could have had nothing to do with the original problem. In that case, I'm much better off trying to fix it myself because I would still have had to pay them for any bogus repairs, unless I wanted to fight over the custody of my boat. > Electronic parts are non returnable once > purchased. Not sure about that. I think it depends on the part and where you bought it. > if he has connected some of the wiring > incorrectly, he could have possibly shorted some > of the new electronics and is now chasing his > tail That is true. As you know, there isn't anything very complicated in these old marine engines, but the information about them is spartan. My Clymer manual has not been that helpful. That's why I'm looking for a little help here. Capt Ken, I apprecaite your sensitivity, but this isn't really an anti-shop activity. It's more of "I've never run into anything that I can't fix" "Let's see if I can get this going" type of thing. I'm going to remove the switch box to see if that stops the voltage drop. Thanks!

funpilot · May 30, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

Hey jsarasota, (do you think they stole the sota part from usin Minnesota, like LA stole our basketball team... lol) I just had the exact same problem in my jet boat (a 120 hp sport jet in a Mirage) Unfortunatly for me, I got the boat with most of the accessories not operating, and the bottom two cylinders filled with water, so I have very little experience in trouble shooting, more in rebuilding and 'fixing'. But... my problem was an intermittent short in the red wire (the manual wants to call it the red/purple wire) between the harness connector to the engine and the starting switch (boat side, not engine side). My clues that not enough current was passing, or no current passing, was a very soft sound coming from the warning horn. Sometimes absent a good ground or power connection, current will reverse itself and look for another path. In my case, it was traveling through the horn. Another thing to consider is the key switch itself. Unless you disconnect the wires, you can't really test the continuity of the various functions. My switch doesn't match the callouts in the Clymer manual, but by noting the functions during tests, I was able to figure out how it should be installed/reinstalled. The engine installation manual which came with my boat has a much cleaner wiring diagam then the copy in the Clymer manual, although it is the same diagram. Would a copy of that help you? Finally, I agree with what you are saying about a shop vs. doing this stuff yourself. The shop I dealt with managed to give me the wrong crankshaft (eleven splines instead of 13) and after a frustrating period trying to drop the motor in the boat... They were invaluble in advice and knowledge about the motor, but so is this forum, and I did pay them well for the parts and advice! The shop had my crankshaft and block last summer longer than I did! The stripped out bolt holes in the cylinder head, the beat up head gasket, and a few other neat things were all my doing, lol. But half the fun of playing with boats for me is fixing them and learning in the process. Good luck!

kenimpzoom · May 30, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

The switch box would not cause this. On my Sea Rayder there were two things that would prevent cranking. The yellow/red stripe wire from the keyswitch ran through the lanyard switch. If the lanyard were pulled off, it wouldnt crank. It then goes to the thottle neutral switch. You must have it in neutral to start it. This switch failed on my boat, causing starting problems. I would just briefly touch a jumper wire from the main power on the solenoid to the yellow/red stripe terminal on the solenoid. If you motor trys to start, then the wiring is your problem. If nothing happens, then your solenoid is bad (or the starter). Also, my entire wiring harness shorted out and all the wires melted together. Everything would work OK, but sometimes weird things would happen. I finally pulled out all the wires and found this problem. And forget about taking it to the shop. You are almost finished. These motors are really simple, anyone can fix them. My first trip to the shop was the last. They were the reason why I learned to fix it myself. Ken

jsarasota · May 31, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

Ken: Thanks for the feedback. > The yellow/red stripe wire from the keyswitch > ran through the lanyard switch. If the lanyard > were pulled off, it wouldnt crank. I had a question regarding this. From testing this switch and the keyswitch, it appears it works by disconnecting the black-yellow ground and connecting the yellow-red when depressed (on) and by connecting the ground and disconnecting the yellow-red when out (off). To bypass the switch, in testing it, I simply disconnected it completely and then bridged the yellow-red connectors. This allowed the current to continue through the circuit. Does that sound right to you? > It then goes to the thottle neutral switch. You > must have it in neutral to start it. This switch > failed on my boat, causing starting problems. Whew! This was hard to get to, but I tested it. The switch is working fine. I will try to jump the starter to see what happens, as well as continue to test the wiring. Thanks, James

jsarasota · Jun 21, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

I've done some more testing. 12V is getting back through the main harness, to the rev limiter, on the purple wire (power is on). However, I have no voltage at all coming out of the rev limiter. What is supposed to be coming out? After coming out of the rev limiter, the purple wire, now labeled BRN in my munual but still very much purple, comes around the front of the engine and then splits into a male and female connector right above the switch box. Because the engine was in pieces when I got back from the shop, and the manual I have disagrees with the actuall wiring, I was wondering if someone could confirm to which wires/devices these should connect. Thanks for your help. James

kenimpzoom · Jun 21, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

I am a bit confused. Is you engine not turning over at all (nothing happens when key turned to start), or does it crank, but no spark? By your description, you have bypassed the lanyard properly. If you apply 12 volts positive to the yellow/red wire on the solenoid, the starter should turn over. If it does turn over with a jumper wire, then the key switch is bad, or the yellow/red wire is bad. If not, then the solenoid is bad, or the main wire from the battery is bad, or the main wire between the solenoid and starter is bad. If your boat does turn over with the key to start, but no spark, then you can unplug the black/yellow wire from the rev limiter to eliminate that as a problem. Ken

kenimpzoom · Jun 21, 2004

Re: Dead Sea Rayder? '94 Mercury Sportjet 90HP

According to my manual the wires to the rev limiter are: I hope an expert comes along to confirm this cause my rev limiter has been disconnected for a long time, and I am not sure about the wiring. Black = ground black/yellow = kill wire to switchbox purple = 12v + with key on Brown = brown wire from trigger (I assume this is where the rev limiter gets its RPM measurement from) Ken

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