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Starter or neutral safety switch?

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Mike29

Contributing Member
1988 Blackfin 29 with 7.4 Crusader 350 H.P. Starboard motor wont turn over. Am I correct in assuming if its the neutral safety switch you wont hear the solenoid engage when trans is in neutral? I can hear the solenoid click when the trans is in neutral but the starter wont engage. Trying to sort out if I need a new starter or switch.
 
Starter relay, starter solenoid, or ...starter. IOW, the safety switch on the tranny is in series with the ignition S contact.
 
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To expand on Dave's reply, the safety switch is between the key switch and the relay....so if you are hearing a "click", its not the NSS....

because the relay and the solenoid are close to each other, an audible click isn't sufficient to determine the problem....I'd suggest a test light to pinpoint the issue.
 
I had the same thing happen to me when I put my boat in the water this spring. I tried everything I could think of to no avail. Finally, I pulled the back cap off the starter motor. (Two long screws. ) I rotated the armature a 1/2 turn and put cap back on. It fired right up! I've started it dozens of times since and it started every time! At least for now.
 
Mike,
Went through the same drill with my 88 Blackfin 29 7.4L. Some basic troubleshooting will identify the problem. Your engine is equipped with a slave solenoid behind the heat exchanger and a starter solenoid on top of the starter. The neutral safe switch is located on the right side of the trans and is normally wired in ahead of the slave solenoid – although sometimes between the slave solenoid and starter solenoid. Let’s assume your NSS is ahead of the slave solenoid. Recommend starting with the starter and working forward. With the ignition switch off, (on the starter solenoid) jumper the small post with the red/yellow wire to the large post with the red wire. This is usually accomplished with a screw driver. The starter should immediately engage and crank the engine. If so, the starter and starter solenoid are OK and the problem is some where from the slave solenoid forward. Next concentrate on the slave solenoid. Confirm the “click” you hear when turning the ignition switch to start is actually the slave solenoid. If so, the NSS is OK and the problem is between the starter solenoid and slave solenoid. In my experience, foreign-made slave solenoids have a high failure rate. You will notice two red/yellow wires going to the solenoid on separate posts. One wire is 12VDC in from the ignition switch (by way of the NSS) and the other is12VDC out to the starter solenoid. A common problem is the solenoid clicks but does not send voltage to the starter solenoid. Using a voltmeter or test light, confirm that both red/yellow wires are carrying 12 volts with the ignition switch turned to start. If the solenoid clicks but no voltage is present at the other red/yellow wire post, the slave solenoid is bad. If both red/yellow wires are carrying voltage, confirm the voltage is making it to the red/yellow poston the starter solenoid. If not, the wire between the slave solenoid and starter solenoid is shorted or broken. If your slave solenoid does not click with 12VDC at the red/yellow (voltage in) wire post either the solenoid is not grounded (Crusader uses a dedicated ground wire at the solenoid) or the solenoid is bad. Checking the NSS is straight forward. The NSS has two screw connections which provide continuity to the startred/yellow wire circuit. With the trans in neutral and the ignition switch turned to start, voltage should be present at both screws. If not, the switch is bad. After replacing at least one slave solenoid each season I installed two Arco solenoids which were exact Crusader replacements and have not had any problems since. Please keep us up todate on your progress. Good Luck,
FL Panhandle
 
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Thanks for the input. Went to boat last night and she fired right up. Don't think its the starter or solenoid. Suspecting that slave cylinder. Gotta get some help to do the checks with the meter. Either that or could be ignition switch. Again thanks much for the input...its appreciated!
 
Mike29 said:
Thanks for the input. Went to boat last night and she fired right up. Don't think its the starter or solenoid. Suspecting that slave cylinder. Gotta get some help to do the checks with the meter. Either that or could be ignition switch. Again thanks much for the input...its appreciated!
Click to expand...

Could well be. That starter mounted part is a standard auto item. All these parts fail intermittantly at first.
 
It was the main starter solenoid. The slave tested fine. I called around and could not find a genuine Delco Remy solenoid local. Went to the place I buy most of my parts from and they had a Crusader one made in Mexico for crazy price. It was too long. Mine is the shorter model so I went to O'Reilly's and they had the right one made in China, I bought it and it works. I got home and found a U.S.A. made Genuine Delco Remy one at Jegs of all places. Going to get a couple and keep this one as a spare.
Again thanks for the replies and Mullettwagen that was some great info as it related directly to my Blackfin. You should post that in the the electrical section on the Blackfin forum.
 
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