Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

[samm835]

Well I was getting my boat ready to sell. It has been sitting in my garage without being started for about two months. When I turned it over I heard a click(coming from the slave soleniod). I went to the local marine and picked up a new one. Now with it installed I am getting nothing at all. I know it was hooked up right, I even unhooked and rehooked. Any suggestions on what else I could test. When I turned the key it was doing absolutley nothing!!! Although battery is fine all music was playing and gauges were fine. I have a mercruiser 3.7 liter alpha one (1989) Do you think it might be the safety switch on the throttle? If it was the starter wouldn't it make some type of noise (clicking)?

 

[Don S]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Try this.

http://www.iboats.com/bbboard/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=24;gtid=1104170;gpid=1104170#gpid1104170

 

[Bondo]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Follow the Power..........

Is there 12V to the Starter,..??.....

Is there 12V to the Solenoid, with the Key in the Start position..??...

The Radio working means NOTHING,..... it takes a couple of amps,....
The Starter takes Much More........

A Bad Starter Might make noises,.. Or Might Not.......

I'd start by Removing, Cleaning, Shiney Clean the wiring ends,...
Reinstall,+ Then Follow the Power........

The fact that the Slave was Clicking tells me, It Was Working........

 

[samm835]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Bondo and Don thanks for the quick reply's. So Bondo you say that since the Slave was clicking that you think it was working? I am not a marine mechanic, so I will go on your word, but I thought that if its not starting and usually when you had that click it meant it might be locked up? I did install a truck battery (prior to new soleniod) and to see if it would start, and I got the same clicking. I guess I will just start taking wires apart and cleaning, thanks for your help any other suggestions would be appreciatted!! Thanks guys, its good to know people still like to help! (with out sending a bill with the information) Oh wait your not sending me a bill are you?????:%

 

[Don S]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Toooo many times I have heard solenoids click but still not work. The click just means the solenoid is moving the the internal parts, it doesn't mean the internal parts work, they just move.

Did you go to that link I posted? That will save you a lot of time with the swap parts/ hit and miss method you seem to be using.

 

[samm835]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

I did go to your link and I have printed it off so I can go through everything. Thanks Don great help!!

 

[Bondo]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Ayuh,.......

That link is to another Great write up by Don,.........

We will start by assuming you have a good battery, clean tight connections with good battery cables of the proper size.

Personally,....
I Assume that this boat is probably in Worse Shape than some of my Friend's boats.....
And most of the 1s I see at the Docks.....

That means the Batteries are Wing-nutted to Questionable Batteries, with Cables that came on the boat 20 Years ago,.......
And the Ground Connections haven't been Cleaned since JB was a Pup.......

Assuring Good Solid Clean Electricity is the 1st Step of Electrical Diagnosis..........
Kinda like the Fuel, Fire, Compression, at the right Time thing with Gasoline motors..........

 

[samm835]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Maybe I am reading into your reply Bondo, but my boat is in good shape...inside and out. I usually don't try to duct tape anything or have rig anything for a quick fix. My boat is in good shape and well taken care of just to let you know.
d

 

[Bondo]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

I Don't mean you in particular,...........Just Boats in General.......

I always assume the Worst,+ Hope for the Best........

I can't See all these Boats We talk about from My Desk.......

 

[samm835]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

OK well I printed Don's link and started to go through my boat. Well I dropped my electric test light while getting in the boat and somehow broke it. Anyway so I started going through the info, and figured that since it's a brand new Soleniod, that I could jump start the boat to see if maybe it was a starter issue and not the slave issue. Well when I jumped it (quickly) I got NOTHING, just a quick spark. So I know the soleniod is getting juice, but it doesn't seem to be going any futher...does this mean I should take the starter off and have it looked at to see if the starter is bad? Or should I look at something else. I hope this made sense.

 

[Don S]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Yep, time to get the starter checked.

 

[samm835]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Thanks for your help Don, I know I might be pressing my luck but since I don't have a link or a picture of what the starter looks like, would you have a link for my motor so I can see what the starter looks like? The reason I ask is because all the starters that I am looking at all seem to have a soleniod on top of the starter. Looking at it last night I don't remember one being on top. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Don S]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

I don't have any pictures, but there were some older models of that engine that didn't have the solenoid on the starter. Someone may have changed it prior to your owning it. Either way, it need to be taken off and checked out.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

I'm going to throw a monkey wrench in here...

You say with the new slave, you get nothing? You had the click before and now you don't even have that? If so, then you have the wrong slave solenoid.

Some are wired differently internally. They look identical, but the marine slaves need the small black wire attached to the small post marked with an I, and the small yellow/red wire attached to the small post marked with an S. Some slaves achieve thier negative connection thru the bracket that mounts the slave. The I post would supply power to the coil for statring. I means Ignition. S stands for Start. But the marine slaves use the same mold for the plastic outer shell and the I should actually be marked N for negative. It leads to a lot of confusion sometimes.

So if you have the wrong slave, you are dead shorting the slave everytime you turn the key. Since there is a lot of resistance in the windings between them, it won't blow any fuses. It will just be dead. Try removing the black wire from the small post. If it works then, that's what happened ... somebody sold you the wrong slave, or somebody put the wrong slave in the right box.

Like I say, they're visually identical except for the internal wiring. You can't see it by looking at it.

 

[rebars1]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Make sure the slave solenoid is still properly grounded.

 

[samm835]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

Willy thanks for the help, I will try to take the wire off night. All I can say is the Slave looks exactly like the old, but I guess I would never know if I got the wrong one if its only different inside. So if I am reading right, if I just disconect the (black) wire I should be able to start right? I don't remember there being a black one on the small post thought, I thought it was only a white w/red strip, and another on the other small post being white with another color strip. I dont remember a black one, I will ck tonight after work. Thanks for the help guys much appreciated.

 

[BuzzM]

Re: Starting - New Slave Soleniod - Wont Start

I experienced this same change of symptoms, & change of parts. Went back to square one and REALLY cleaned every single connection, including any grounds. A bit improved. Then, I changed the ignition switch. Been starting ever since. I don't understand why it worked,
just did.
Hope this helps as well as the rest fo the great advice.