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23 L OMC Cobra Starting Problem

J

jbutman

Member
"Bought a boat from a guy I kn

"Bought a boat from a guy I know and the first time out it started fine. Then started having problems.

I took it in, and they said the starter was going bad, but it should last, and they looked things over and things were fine.

Problem is that it will start and run, then when I turn it off, and try to start again, there will be nothing (no gauges, or anything). If I let it sit for a little while, it will then start up.

Last weekend though I was out and turned the boat off, then it wouldn't start again. I had nothing for gauges, no other electrical up front. The only thing that works is the trim.

Got the boat home, took off starter and took it in. I was told the starter is bad, but I am suspecting something else. Checked voltage at coil, but didn't get anything, although I don't know if I am doing that right or not. I also checked the voltage at the fuse block up front, and there wasn't any voltage there. I'm wondering if the real problem is the coil. I checked voltage at the coil, and got nothing, but the starter is still out.

Am I right in thinking the coil is a problem? How would I check that without the starter being installed? Should I look at the solenoid too? Looks like I will also need to find a starter somewhere... only one I can find on Sierra Marine is for a 2.5 L. My Engine Model is #985683."
 
"The model # you gave is actua

"The model # you gave is actually from the outdrive and not the engine (985683) but it will do, it shows that it's the outdrive for a 1989 2.3 ltr.

This is not a coil problem if you have no power even to guages. You will need a multi meter or at least a test light. Next time you have a problem you need to start at the ignition switch and check for voltage on the red/purple wire. This wire feeds 12v to the switch and from there it goes to the start assist solenoid as well as powering the guages. Best bet is for you to pick up an OMC or aftermarket manual that will have a wiring diagram to follow."
 
"I have an 87 2.3L and had a v

"I have an 87 2.3L and had a very similar problem, I was getting 12v at the ignition switch that would drop to nothing when the key was turned to "start" then when released i'd only have about 8v at the switch, fuel gauge would read correct until I turned the key and the voltage dropped, it would then show an incorrect fuel level.

The problem turned out to be the main wiring connector at the rear left of the engine, its black, round and about 4" long, pull that apart and clean up the contacts, hopefully that will cure your problem as it did mine.
Barry"
 
"Thanks Barry.

Bob, why wou

"Thanks Barry.

Bob, why would I have 0 Volts at the fuse block? That should have power regardless of the position of the key or ignition switch. That runs items like the nav lights and live well, which can be on with the ignition switch all the way off. I don't even have power there. Maybe it is the connector..."
 
"I shoudl mention I checked fo

"I shoudl mention I checked for voltage at the ignition switch last night, and there wasn't any voltage there either."
 
"Jeremy...better to start with

"Jeremy...better to start with the basics then, I missed the fuse block thing but if the boat is wired properly the fuse block should be totally independant of any of the engine wiring. If both the engine (ignition key) and the fuse block are missing power you need to go back to where they have something in common. The battery connections is a good place to start, make sure they are both very clean and tight on the battery, not finger tight wing nuts but pliers tight! How many RED (positve) wires on the battery? The engine and boat should have separate leads but??? Is there a main battery switch somewhere between the battery and engine?"
 
"The battery and connections a

"The battery and connections are good, I've checked those (first thing I did). There is only one red wire from the battery to a solenoid. From one side of the solenoid there are three cables (I think), one goes to the coil, and I'm not sure where the others go right now (going by memory here).

On the other side of the soleniod the red wire goes to the starter. There are two small screw posts, and the wire on one goes to the coil, and I'm not sure where the wire from the screw post goes to.

What I need to get is a wiring diagram. I hopefully will have one soon so I can check. I am for sure going to check the connector on the main harness to see if the contacts are clean. Right now that is the only place I can think of where the problem is.

On another note, can I use a starter for the 2.5 L on my 2.3 L? Sierra Marine has a starter that looks the same, but is for a 2.5 L."
 
"Use this link to look at a wi

"Use this link to look at a wiring diagram for now. I'm concerned that there isn't a separate wire to feed that fuse block? The other small wire on that solenoid actually comes from the key switch. Something I should have asked you before is, does the tilt/trim work when this happens? When you look at the diagram you'll see that where the battery cable connects to the solenoid it then feeds 2 50 amp fuses, 1 is strictly for tilt/trim, the other one feeds everything else.

http://www.selocmarine.com/content/manuals/3404/pdf/340410w152.pdf

The starter doesn't seem to match between 2.5 and 2.3. The PN you need for the 2.3 is 984628, you can see a sub part here

http://www.marineengine.com/newparts/part_details.php?pnum=ARC70116&ptype=&Engine=&Model="
 
"Bob,

Thanks for all the he

"Bob,

Thanks for all the help. I went to Seloc and bought the online tune-up/repair manual because I'm sure I'll need it in the future.

I did get the boat running tonight. I feel pretty dumb... I checked the wiring harness connector, and that seemed to help, but then it went out again. So I checked the 50 amp fuses (which I thought I checked before). The trim/tilt fuse was fine... makes sense because that always worked through this ordeal. However, the other fuse was almost pulled apart, and the contacts were corroded. Cleaned the contacts, pushed the fuse back together, and the boat started right up.

I'm going to replace the fuses, which I should have checked right away. Feel pretty dumb about that. Thanks for the help though.

I will need that new starter, so I appreciate the link to that. Where did you find that number? I couldn't find it in my searches in the manual. I can limp on this starter for now, but I won't do that for long.

Sorry for wasting your guy's time on a simple problem..."
 
"i was gonna suggest the same

"i was gonna suggest the same thing about the fuses, when I first got my boat it ran fine four acouple days then died at three in the morning on the lake, pitch black. I finnally found the fusees (and several spares in the glove box) connection came apart totally, cut it off and wire nutted together until I could relpace it. Never had the problem again"
 
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