My Capri started before I serviced the lower unit

[Mo1]

Hello folks. A little history on this boat. I purchased it a few weeks ago it's a 1987 Capri 1400 with a Force 50 Model 507XC. Its my first boat. The prior owner said it didn't start. I brought it home prepped it for starting and noticed it didn't start cuz the laynard button was not depressed. I gerry rigged it so that the button would stay depressed and it started every time. I thought I was Mr Smarty Pants.

I then serviced the lower unit and re installed it. I turned the ignition and it didn't crank. I could hear the automatic choke coming on.
The battery is charged and the button on the laynard is depressed. I jumped the two wires that connect to the laynard switch and it still wouldn't crank

I bought a new laynard but not sure how to connect it. It has four prongs in the back. I would assume one wire to each opposite prong? On prong is labeld up. I assume that side goes up when you install it.

What and how should I test next after installing laynard? The cutt of switch at the motor. The neutral switch? I was hoping I wouldn't have to chase down an electrical problem, The more I work on the boat the more problems I find I guess Ill be reading the electrical section of the seloc manual..Any help would be appreciated

 

[Mo1]

Now that think about it. When the laynard clip was missing when I bought the boat the engine would crank just wouldn't start. So maybe it's not the kill switch.

I hadn't finished with the shift cable. I lost the screw so the cable has not been reinstalled. I noticed there was a switch close to the shif cable but i wanted to start the engine to see if the pump was workingt. I bet it's that switch

 

[fhhuber]

neutral switch?

And... check the wiring on that lanyard switch. Might be open when ignition enabled, might be closed... I'm not sure on yours. Jumpering the wires may be exactly wrong.

Since that is an outboard it would help to say which one. (though there are some here that will probably know just from the picture)

 

[tommarvin]

Nice boat, first thought, is the starboard side registration sticker supposed to be to the left of AZ ? I would put the lanyard in with the up prong up,

When you say the cut off switch at the motor, do you mean the electrical circuit breaker on the motor you push a tab down to reset it?

I wouldn't jumper any wires, like fhhuber said, Do you have the neutral interlock switch installed and pushed down when the shifter is in neutral,it might not turn over or start. Make sure water comes out of indicator hole at first start up. please tell us what it was so I can learn something.

 

[Frank Acampora]

The dead man switch you have is a multi-use switch. It can be used for battery and coil ignition or electronic ignition. Two of the opposite terminals are in continuity when the switch is released and this is for the elecronic ignition. When the clip pulls out the button pops and the white wires are shorted thus grounding the CD capacitors, This stops spark, not cranking.

With battery and points, the other two terminals are in continuity with the clip on the switch. This allows voltage to the points and coils and allows spark. When the clip is pulled the terminals are no longer in continuity and no voltage gets to the points, preventing spark.

Which terminals you use depend upon ignition type. Quite frankly, I forget which terminals are which. use a VOM to test. Location of the up terminal is really not important unless there is a possible wire interference. The main thing is to use opposite terminals.

There is also a black or dark brown micro-switch at the shift linkage and control cable. Unless this micro-switch has the white button depressed (that is, engine in neutral) the engine will not crank.

The Seloc manual is not very good and may actually confuse you more. Quite often it says to do things but does not give a reason and sometimes it is just wrong.--Can't give concrete example because after reading it a long time ago I decided to never use it. Of the three most popular manuals (Factory, Clymers, Seloc) it is the poorest choice.

Reply with the ignition type of your engine and maybe a couple of photos. I will tell you how to wire the switch.

 

[Mo1]

Looks like the registration is on both sides. And yup it was the neutral switch. I pressed the button and it cranked. Im going to finish installing the linkage and kill switch tomorro

 

[Mo1]

Did some continuity testing on the new kill switch

 

[tommarvin]

Sir Mo1, I think the registration sticker on the starboard side is on the WRONG side of the letters, The registration sticker should be HERE AZ 5276 AD not on right side. Just trying to help here.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Even though the state may require the sticker in a certain spot, no self respecting LEO is going to issue a summons for a valid sticker in the wrong spot. It would very likely be thrown out of court.

 

[Mo1]

Thanks for the heads up Tom. Ill get that straightened out when I register the boat.

The engine started it was the neutral switch. The shift bracket isn't making contact with the button.

I think I found out why the shifter is hard to shift.. The shift bracket is hitting the tower shaft before the shift bracket can depress the white button on the neutral switch. Not sure if Im making sense i'll do a video of it so you guys can see.. Are the neutral switch and shift plate adjustable? I seem to have a hard time with cables


The kill switch worked when I connected the two prongs that had continuity when the button wasn't depressed,by the lanyard. I tried it first the other side with the UP printed on it and the engine didn't start

PS don't buy this switch and laynard at the dealer

 

[Frank Acampora]

There is no adjustment for either the neutral interlock switch or the lever or plate the cable attaches to. The actual shift lever is mounted on the oil recirculation plate. The plate itself has a captive shoulder bolt and the shift lever SHOULD have two plastic liners. If these liners are missing the hole is too big and the plate will move away from the neutral interlock switch.

 

[Mo1]

The cables and levers are driving me crazy. I moved the tower a little further back to get the shift lever past the tower to get it in neutral but when I shift at the helm the tower doesn't go back to were it was. Heck I don;t even know if thats how the mechanism is supposed to work, Does the factory manual have any info on it, The Seloc doesn't refer to it. Help please.

 

[tommarvin]

Our service manual only goes down to 105 hp. Our 125 can adjust the neural interlock switch. What's different, you removed the shifter cable, you didn't touch the tower shaft, or neutral interlock switch. I would put the tower shaft back, like before you adjusted it.

My gut says it a shifter linkage adjustment, to get it back were it was before you started. Did you turn anything on the shifter linkage to change it?

At 46 seconds the neutral interlock switch was perfect, There's slop in the shifter cable, when you throttle back it's not rotating the tower shaft enough for the pivot to push the neutral interlock button, I would put the tower back where it was to start, I don't know if you should adjust the shifter cable yet if you did not adjust it. Is there a spring on tower missing to rotate it back to starting position. Hang tight, East Coast people will solve this in the morning. Sleep well.

 

[tommarvin]

Theres a tower shaft arm at the bottom of tower shaft, and a neutral interlock arm at the bottom you can adjust on a 125, I don't know if yours is the same.

The tower is not rotating back to the starting position.

 

[Mo1]

Thanks Tom. Yes I did remove the shifter cable and then I lost the screw so I put a different one in there. When I picked up the boat the shifter did not want to shift the seller said it just needed some wd40 so Im not sue if it was good to begin with.

In the second part of the video at 46 seconds... Is that the way your tower and shift lever align in the neutral position? In that part I shifted from neutral to drive and back to neutral thats where the shifter got caught with the tower,

Maybe I should close that tower pin some more.

 

[Mo1]

[No message]

 

[Frank Acampora]

It appears as though the throttle tower is not returning to fully retarded at neutral, thus preventing the shift arm from returning to its neutral position. Watch my video on synchronizing throttle and timing.

The quick connect fitting you have on the throttle cable, while a Force part is certainly not the best one and you should consider replacing it.

The control cables should have the correct quick-connect fitting at the engine end. The shift cable should have a solid screw-on fitting about one inch long. The THROTTLE cable should have a much larger quick-connect with a spring loaded center. This connector MUST be screwed onto the cable so the center spring loaded section is pulled out about 1/4 inch in neutral. This ensures that the throttle does not start to open until the lower unit is fully in gear. IT ALSO ensures positive return of the throttle tower to the stop so there is clearance for the shift arm to return to neutral. The adjusting screw in the front of the shift arm (if you have one) needs to be adjusted so there is clearance between it and the tower in neutral yet only allows about 1500 RPM in warm-up or fast idle.

Once you have the correct fittings place the engine in neutral and ensure the lower unit is in neutral. THEN with the cable connected thread the fitting on or off the cable until it just snaps over the ball. Now, with the engine in neutral and the throttle tower fully retarded thread on the spring loaded fitting until the center protrudes about 1/4 inch. It is much easier to adjust this and attach it with the engine throttled up (not running)

 

[Frank Acampora]

No Title

Here are a couple of photos showing correct parts and set-up

 

[Mo1]

Thanks Frank Ill watch the video. It appears that the tower does go all the way back The pictures were very helpful. I do have a spring loaded connector on the throttle cable but not the same as yours . The throttle connector is the one thing I haven't messed with. I don't recall if there was tension on it or not. Can you buy just the connectors for the cables? Or do I have to buy new cables.

It doesn;t look like the throttle cable has tension in the picture

 

[Mo1]

Correction. Like you mentioned in an earlier post. There are no adjustments made at the cables I dont have the spring loaded end on throttle cable