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help with motor starting

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Patty Grubbs Chandler

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We have a 200hp johnson V6 oceanrunner on our boat. The motor isnt getting power to turn over or click or anything. All the batteries are charged and run the lights, radio, etc. I've changed the ignition switch. I crossed out the old solenoid and the motor cranked and ran. I replaced the solenoid, got it to try to fire up one time and now its back to doing nothing. Any ideas what could be wrong?
 
What year is that 200 hp? Is the engine new to you OR have you owned it awhile?

Since it cranked over one time with the new starter solenoid, I assume the 20 ampere power fuse is okay..... in line fuse a short distance from the starter solenoid in one of the smaller RED wires. (check it anyway).

Sounds like a voltage drop to the solenoid etc.

Remove and clean thoroughly "all" of the cable/wires associated with the electric starter, including the battery terminals... clean those cable and wire terminals and also the components they attach to, then tighten them securely with a wrench or pliers... not your fingers if wing nuts are encountered.

Let us know what you find.
 
The motor is a 96 year model. We checked the inline fuse that you told us and it was blown so we replaced it. Now we have power to the ignition and the trim but when we try to crank it, there's a loud chirping sound coming from the ignition but still doesn't even try to crank.
 
Starter is drawing excessive amperage thus blowing fuse.Starter can be disassembled and inspected,parts replaced as needed.Check cables with ohm meter from battery to solenoid,and from solenoid to starter with cables removed.
 
When the STARTER draws excessive current, it WILL NOT BLOW A FUSE.

When the starter SOLENOID draws excessive current in the pick winding, then it could blow a fuse.
 
The solonoid on the positive side is getting power. The starter isnt engaging when the key is turned. Its just chirping like a sick bird. We've crossed it out once and it cranked the motor but now it won't even cross out.
 
The batteries are old. From 2011. Could it be possible that they just don't have enough power to turn the motor even tho the lights, trim and radio work? Any ideas why the ignition sounds like a chirp when we try to crank it?
 
Patty Grubbs Chandler said:
The batteries are old. From 2011. Could it be possible that they just don't have enough power to turn the motor even tho the lights, trim and radio work? Any ideas why the ignition sounds like a chirp when we try to crank it?
Click to expand...

Yes Patty it is possible for the batteries to be so dead that they cannot turn the engine over the other starter comma and still allow the radio to play. It is not common for that to happen comma generally the battery is so dead that nothing work but you may be halfway there so to speak. When you say chirping from the ignition do you mean up at the key I assume comma if so the voltage can be solo that the warning horn is actually coming on and off on and off on and off as you try to start. That would explain a chirping noise coming from the controls. Pardon any typos as I am on my cell phone trying to use voice recognition
 
Generally though when you have batteries that are that dead if you turn the stereo on for example when you turn the key to start the stereo will go off because the starter is attempting to draw all current available from the batteries leaving none for the stereo or lights or any other load that happen to be on the batteries.

Also when the battery is so dead the starter solenoid will chatter click click click click click click before the warning horn will chirp that's for sure.

So it is possible that you have a different wiring scheme for your boat batteries in that one battery Powers the radio and the other battery Powers the starter motor. I don't know if you have a battery selector switch or what but at this point what I would do with no tools would be too take a pair of jumper cables and jump that starter directly.
 
Or remove the batteries completely and take them to AutoZone and have them load tested. But your problem seems to be in the batteries themselves or in the positive battery cable leading to the motor. I say positive battery cable because you jumped at once successfully. However it could certainly be in the negative battery cable. If you would like to do some more testing you could turn the key to start and feel around on all the battery connections to see if you feel any heat. If you have high resistance in the battery cables that point will heat up.
 
Get new batteries....They could very well be the problem and they are at the end of their life and will fail shortly...Three years on the ignition battery in a boat is enough...trolling motor batteries don't leave you stranded so use your own judgement on that..plus you can tell without testing when they get too old..
 
Suggestion.... When you have those batteries tested, use a hydrometer.

Those "State Of The Art" testers that you'll find in Auto-Zone, Pep Boys, Advance Auto, etc leave a lot to be desired. They will not detect a failing cell whereas a hydrometer will.

I've had those stores tell me more than once that a battery was okay and I must have a defect in my charging system... they would have had me re-installing a faulty battery in my vehicle... showing them otherwise via a hydrometer test had them honoring my warranty and me walking out the door with a new battery!
 
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