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Troubleshooting...No cranking with key on 200

S

Skooter

Advanced Contributor
Before I sell my 200s I want to solve this issue. First off I have a working wire harness and battery cables, I know this because I swapped it from the other outboard that does not give me any issues. I have a no crank/start with key. I have checked main fuse and all fuses in the fuse block. I get the beeps and lights when I turn the ignition on, but when I turn to crank, it is a "weakend beep" and starter does not engage, nor click. I can also hear chattering coming from seems to be the tilt/trim relay.. I tried jumping starter lug with smaller bladed connection on starter and nothing..not even a click... I cleaned all ground wire connections (4 of them that I know of). Then nothing...I swapped ECM and it didn't make a difference...I swapped starter and nothing! I then ran booster cables to positive battery and starter lug and grounded the outboard to engine hoist mount and battery..Still no key start, but I can jump starter with screw driver and make engine turn over. (making progress!) I then swapped main relay on front of engine..nothing! I swapped the entire engine harness with a known working one...still the same results. I cut off the 3 terminal ends of the grounds and replaced them..still the same. I need some help trying to figure this out.

The following is in known working order
The ignition key/cylinder
ECM
Starter
Main relay
New battery
Battery cables/wire harness assembly
 
You have gone through an awful lot of work for a no crank condition...

Did you jumper 12v to the terminal on the starter that has the small white lead coming from the main relay? If the voltage and ground to the starter are good, then the starter should should start. You know the starter is ok, since you have jumped it directly. (Maybe this is what you have already done.) If you jumper (just using a small jumper wire) to that terminal and the starter does not start, then it is battery cables, connections, or battery.

If all is good there, you must not be getting 12v on the white lead from the main relay.

Did you check or bypass the neutral safety switch? It provides the ground to the starter relay in the main relay module.

Or could the engine be or think that it is in gear? That would open the ground and the start relay will not operate.

A black/blue lead delivers the ground from the neutral switch to the start relay in the main relay module. Make sure you have a good ground there.

If you do, then check to see if you are getting 12v when you operate the start switch on the black/white lead going to the main relay. If not, then you are into the engine wiring harness, wiring harness to the helm, key switch, etc.....which you said that you have already replaced.

Basically, if you can get the starter going close to the starter and work backwards to the key switch, the whole circuit might make sense.

There are many shortcuts for troubleshooting these types of circuits, but if you do not understand where the voltages and grounds are coming from the shortcuts will not make any sense and finding the problem would only be by guessing.

Mike
 
Thanks Mike, was hoping you'd take a minute to reflect on this. I didn't run a jumper to the white 12v wire. I ran booster cable to big lug on starter then jumped it with white wire via screw driver.

You may have something with neutral safety switch..Motor is not in gear, prop spins fine...Where is neutral safety switch? Also is there a ground on tilt trim other than relay that could cause the chattering in the relay?
 
Thanks Mike, was hoping you'd take a minute to reflect on this. I didn't run a jumper to the white 12v wire. I ran booster cable to big lug on starter then jumped it with white wire via screw driver.

You may have something with neutral safety switch..Motor is not in gear, prop spins fine...Where is neutral safety switch? Also is there a ground on tilt trim other than relay that could cause the chattering in the relay?
 
UPDATE:

Hope this helps others with similar problem. I figured it out...There was a combination of issues that caused this problem. At first I didn't get any red lights on key switch panel, nor any beeps. I cleaned all 4 different ground points on engine and got a weak fading beep with chattering, but no key start nor could I jump starter with screw driver. I cut off terminal ends of grounds to main relay and other grounds and replaced with new terminal ends, except for the main battery terminal ground. I also noticed corrosion on the battery end of the ground terminal, so I cleaned it very well with a file. Now I turned the key and got beeps and red lights lit up on key panel, but still nothing to starter. With the great brains of Mike, he suggested that I look at neutral safety switch. I went ahead and pulled and that was exactly what the problem was. Now it fires up right away with key, just like it used to. I already repowered with new Zuke's but I wanted to resolve this problem before I sold them. Hope this helps alot of other people. Thanks Mike for the help!
 
Skooter said:
UPDATE:

Hope this helps others with similar problem. I figured it out...There was a combination of issues that caused this problem. At first I didn't get any red lights on key switch panel, nor any beeps. I cleaned all 4 different ground points on engine and got a weak fading beep with chattering, but no key start nor could I jump starter with screw driver. I cut off terminal ends of grounds to main relay and other grounds and replaced with new terminal ends, except for the main battery terminal ground. I also noticed corrosion on the battery end of the ground terminal, so I cleaned it very well with a file. Now I turned the key and got beeps and red lights lit up on key panel, but still nothing to starter. With the great brains of Mike, he suggested that I look at neutral safety switch. I went ahead and pulled and that was exactly what the problem was. Now it fires up right away with key, just like it used to. I already repowered with new Zuke's but I wanted to resolve this problem before I sold them. Hope this helps alot of other people. Thanks Mike for the help!
Click to expand...
I'm having what sounds like the same problem with my 90 hp engine. A question that I have for you is were you able to tilt your motor up and down with either the switch at the motor or the switch on the shifter?
I hear a buzzing sound coming from the tilt/trim relay and I replaced it and the new one gives me the same result.
 
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