click, click, click, CRANK

You know the drill..

Moderators: Redneck_Randy, badmoonrising, lakerunner

Message
Author
User avatar
FLOUNDERPOUNDER225
Posts: 314
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:19 am

Re: click, click, click, CRANK

#16 Post by FLOUNDERPOUNDER225 » Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:29 am

with electrical there can be quite a difference between voltage and amperage (current) for those who have been involved with issues like this, it can be a case of voltage getting to the component (starter) or relay, but because of corrosion there is a lack of amperage or current to operate the component. That nasty green stuff can work its way up a wire from the terminal end resulting in high resistance, high resistance can kill a starter because voltage drops as resistance goes up. I would probably jump to the input side of the relay, with a good heavy jumper wire from a battery or jump box, then hit the key and see what happens (remove the existing wire from your boat battery). if it works, it means you have corrosion and resistance in your primary wires that are in the boat right now.
Pensacola FL
2015 Berkshire 231 RFC
Yamaha F-150

User avatar
sunedog
Posts: 356
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:48 am

Re: click, click, click, CRANK

#17 Post by sunedog » Thu Aug 24, 2017 4:18 am

[quote="FLOUNDERPOUNDER225"]with electrical there can be quite a difference between voltage and amperage (current) for those who have been involved with issues like this, it can be a case of voltage getting to the component (starter) or relay, but because of corrosion there is a lack of amperage or current to operate the component. That nasty green stuff can work its way up a wire from the terminal end resulting in high resistance, high resistance can kill a starter because voltage drops as resistance goes up. I would probably jump to the input side of the relay, with a good heavy jumper wire from a battery or jump box, then hit the key and see what happens (remove the existing wire from your boat battery). if it works, it means you have corrosion and resistance in your primary wires that are in the boat right now.[/quote]

Makes sense. I'll let you guys know what the outcome is. May try to limp it through until the end of the season because it's twice as hard to work on it in the water. I'll probably be pulling it in early Oct.

Retired OG
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 10:51 am

Re: click, click, click, CRANK

#18 Post by Retired OG » Thu Aug 24, 2017 6:22 am

[quote="FLOUNDERPOUNDER225"]with electrical there can be quite a difference between voltage and amperage (current) for those who have been involved with issues like this, it can be a case of voltage getting to the component (starter) or relay, but because of corrosion there is a lack of amperage or current to operate the component. That nasty green stuff can work its way up a wire from the terminal end resulting in high resistance, high resistance can kill a starter because voltage drops as resistance goes up. I would probably jump to the input side of the relay, with a good heavy jumper wire from a battery or jump box, then hit the key and see what happens (remove the existing wire from your boat battery). if it works, it means you have corrosion and resistance in your primary wires that are in the boat right now.[/quote]

I spent the entire day yesterday chasing electrical gremlins....my motor is a 1972 50 hp Evinrude and up until a few months ago it had been sitting out in the elements attached unprotected to a 1973 Kayot that was slowly melting back into the earth...I had been starting it off and on, the last couple of months, while I tore the deck off and re-carpeted...this past Monday, I snuck down to the lake before sunrise and put it in the water for the first time in at least 7 years...guess what??? It wouldn't start....so I fired up my kicker motor and tooled around for about an hour, before pulling it out and heading home...up until now, it had always fired up...hard starting...yes, but it always started....yesterday I removed and cleaned ALL of my electrical connections...the ones that looked questionable after cleaning, were clipped and replaced....including my ignition switch terminals....the results were positive and dramatic.
1973 Kayot with 1972 Evinrude 50 hp Lark

User avatar
sunedog
Posts: 356
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:48 am

Re: click, click, click, CRANK

#19 Post by sunedog » Fri Sep 01, 2017 4:27 am

Update: The starter / solenoid gave up the ghost in dramatic fashion Sunday. Wife had the boat out with friends while I stayed at the house working on some other stuff. She tried to start it to come home. Said she heard "noise" coming from the outboard, but it wouldn't start. It became weird when she said she turned the key off but the noise in the motor continued. Soon she and passengers smelled something burning. Then a big cloud of smoke came out of the motor and the noise stopped. Friends towed her home.

The big wire between the solenoid and starter clearly fried. I haven't ever seen this on a starter before. Anyway, ordered an aftermarket starter / solenoid from Amazon and installed it Wed night. $109 delivered with a one year warranty. Doesn't appear to be any other damage to the motor. No fuses blown and it started right up when I reconnected the battery.
Attachments
Honda starter - fried.jpg
Honda starter - fried.jpg (83.5 KiB) Viewed 2111 times

User avatar
PlaynDoc
Posts: 1600
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:32 am
Location: Milner, Georgia

Re: click, click, click, CRANK

#20 Post by PlaynDoc » Fri Sep 01, 2017 1:08 pm

nothing like smoke coming from the area, to help diagnose the problem!

i guess it wasn't the fluid level in your key switch, after all!


glad all is well, and glad the price was good... sometimes smoke from a motor can be a tad more expensive
2011 SunChaser DS22
Mercury 115 EFI
13.75 x 15p

User avatar
ROLAND
Posts: 4248
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2009 4:29 am

Re: click, click, click, CRANK

#21 Post by ROLAND » Sun Sep 03, 2017 1:47 am

Well sorry your wife and friends got stranded, but at least now you have the problem fixed and can enjoy the boat without worrying about it.
Roland & Jo
2010 Bennington 20 Sfi
Yamaha 75 4 Stroke
Shreveport, Louisiana

User avatar
FLOUNDERPOUNDER225
Posts: 314
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:19 am

Re: click, click, click, CRANK

#22 Post by FLOUNDERPOUNDER225 » Wed Sep 06, 2017 7:16 am

[quote="sunedog"]Update: The starter / solenoid gave up the ghost in dramatic fashion Sunday. Wife had the boat out with friends while I stayed at the house working on some other stuff. She tried to start it to come home. Said she heard "noise" coming from the outboard, but it wouldn't start. It became weird when she said she turned the key off but the noise in the motor continued. Soon she and passengers smelled something burning. Then a big cloud of smoke came out of the motor and the noise stopped. Friends towed her home.

The big wire between the solenoid and starter clearly fried. I haven't ever seen this on a starter before. Anyway, ordered an aftermarket starter / solenoid from Amazon and installed it Wed night. $109 delivered with a one year warranty. Doesn't appear to be any other damage to the motor. No fuses blown and it started right up when I reconnected the battery.[/quote]


Your starter shorted to ground internally, that's about the amp draw it takes to melt a wire of that gauge. At least it exposed itself and its fixed now!!
Pensacola FL
2015 Berkshire 231 RFC
Yamaha F-150

Post Reply