Replaced starter and I only get a single click

[Seville 83]

Hi Everyone! This is my first post , I have been reading a lot of tips on here, this is my second season as a boat owner and I am still learning . Looking forward to some help on this one .
mercruiser 12O 2.5
my starter went bad it would not shut off once starting it kept cranking . I replaced it and now I get a single click . I jumped the terminals on the starter and it cranked . I thought it was the 90 amp fuse , when I went to get the part they told me to replace the slave solenoid instead . I did that and still only a click . All of my dash lights, trim , blower etc work when the key is turned . Please help . I tried to push the 50 amp breaker as well.

 

[Scott Danforth]

start by cleaning all the battery cable connections from the battery to the starter and back, including the ground

 

[Grub54891]

And inspect those wires completely. If it was stuck cranking for a bit, they may have got hot, and overheated the core wire, which causes more resistance. Check for melted insulation and hard spots.

 

[Bt Doctur]

If it is a soft click its the slave solenoid, test by jumping the 2 large lugs, starter should spin . If the click is coming from the starter ,the solenoid is not connected to the starter or the solenoid contacts are bad .
Jumping the connections at the starter and have it spin the motor means the battery cable connections are good and the solenoid is making contact.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Also check for voltage on the Red/Purple at the slave.

 

[kulle]

I just had this happen to me the other day. I bought a cheap starter when i broke my bendix. Haven't ran the boat for a few months, when to start it and slave would click. Agree with BT Dr. if you jump the lugs on the slave and nothing happens( which is what happened to me and you have voltage going to the starter solenoid when key is in "START" position, then could be starter/starter solenoid,. I beat both with a breaker bar ( not to the point it dented) but then it engaged. The slave solenoid is nothing more than a switch, so should be easy to confirm if its bad or not.