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1991 200HP Johnson UH OH.........

J

jlowe23

New member
So Saturday I bought me a new 1991 Stratos center console with a 1991 200HP Johnson O/B. I went out with the wife and boys Sunday to do a little crabbing and fishing, but mainly to give the boat a run.

Everything went great up until the time I managed to get one of the crab pot lines wrapped around the prop. (it was the wife’s fault really.....no really ) When I did the motor sputtered to a stop. After about 45 minutes fighting with the line and trap (part of the metal trap was bent around the prop) I finally got everything free.

I went to fire the boat back up and nothing happened when I turned the key. First I checked the kill switch, good. Then I checked the battery connectors, good. Next all the fuses, good. Then all the connectors on the motor (thinking maybe I knocked something loose while getting the trap out), good. I tried tapping the solenoid and starter but no luck.

Well after a hour and a half tow back (the ranger saved me 200 bucks) I loaded up and headed home (with a very pissed off wife!) When I got home I found a good wire and jumped the solenoid and the motor fired and spun.

Today I changed out the solenoid and rechecked all fuses and connectors then I disconnected the big red plug and jumped the solenoid (big to little) and the motor fired up. Good news there. It shifted fine also.

I also jumped the neutral safety switch at the motor with no luck. (found out later it was probably the shift assist I was messing with)

is there a neutral safety switch at the ignition? I am running out of idea's here.



Thanks

John
 
Pertaining to fuses...... the main power fuse is a inline fuse, located in one of the smaller RED wires leading from the starter solenoid. Did you check that one?
 
It is one of the simplest circuits there is. Seriously. You know the basics....your terms (big to little) of the solenoid operation. Here is the deal: There is a red with purple stripe (red/purple) wire that runs from the positive B+ side of the solenoid up thru the harness to the key. When key on, the purple wire FROM the key will go to +12v. When key in start position, there is a yellow/red wire that runs back down the harness to the "little" terminal (your terms) on the solenoid. That wire will power up to +12v when key is in start position. The only other gotcha is the neutral safety switch. It is located inside the controls. It is CLOSED when the box is in neutral, and OPEN when it is in any gear. It too has yellow/red wiring. It is simply a way to open up the yellow/red start solenoid pick circuit when controls are in gear, and complete the circuit when the controls are in neutral. So, to debug, put a voltmeter or test light on the "little terminal" at the starter solenoid. Turn key to start. If the terminal goes to +12v, key switch and harness are OK. Look for problems at the solenoid, particularly it's ground. (I know, you have eliminated the solenoid by jumping it at the motor. This is for other readers.) If NO +12v when key is in start position, look for some reason the +12v supply red/purple wire is open. Bad key switch, open red/purple in the big red plug connector, defective (open) neutral switch in controls, bad 20 amp fuse, anything that would prevent that +12v from getting back to the "little terminal" on the solenoid. Jiggle the control handle, you may have an intermittent neutral switch. Open the control box, probe the keyswitch for presence of +12v on the red/purple wire, then the purple wire when key on, then the yellow/red wire when key in start position. Basic debugging techniques. Good luck. None of this "no crank problem", by the way, makes any sense with correlation to your catching a crab line on the prop. To me the two incidents are unrelated.
 
joereeves said:
Pertaining to fuses...... the main power fuse is a inline fuse, located in one of the smaller RED wires leading from the starter solenoid. Did you check that one?
Click to expand...
Exactly right. That would be the red/purple wire I refer to, leading up to the key switch thru the harness.
 
Dasel,

Thanks so much for the info. I will see what I come up with in the morning. I was thinking that the line in the prop should not have caused this issue.

Wish me luck!
 
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