Bad Starter?? Curses you cranky beast

TikiHut2

When starting the boat on the last few trips I'd turn the key to the start location and was met with the dreaded click but no go. After a few attempts it'd catch, and it didn't happen all the time and when it worked it was strong so being optimistic I figured it was a bad ground and not a stater solenoid. Went to prep the boat tonight for a weekend run(which always includes a test run at the house) and it looks like my luck has run out. I think the stater has an on-board solenoid that's done.

• First made sure the terminals were clean and the batteries were fully up. No go...only the dreaded click
  

• I found the engine grounding bolts and re-tightened them both even though they were both in good shape. No go.
• I checked the main harness connector that was clean as a whistle. No go
• Tried the "both" battery selector after cycling it around a few times. No Go.
• Hooked up my jump start pack. No go.
  
• Tried jostling the shifter fwd/rev at the helm. No Go

Got back under the engine to see how impossible it'll be to pull the starter and if the 2(?) bolts would come loose it won't be horrible.....but of course the back one that I can barely reach is tight as a tick even after hosing it with penetrating oil. Assuming I can get the back bolt off and won't have to pull the engine, is there a GM starter that is a direct bolt in on these GM 350s' or will I have to do a Merc OEM starter??

I was looking forward to posting some pics of the 3 girls I was bringing this weekend. Thanks for any insight. Broke down again, Mike

Black_Diamond

Did you try the red re-set button on top of the engine?  Would be under the cover and by the throttle body.  I'm sure you'll need a Merc (or similiar) part as it needs to be ignition proof.  Another check: swap batteries; if you have a short in one of the cells it will show up under load.  A load tester would pick this up too.  Just a few thoughts from30,000' in the air tonight.

 

212rowboat

I'm pretty sure there is a solenoid hiding out on top of the engine.. there is another in the starter.. one up top protects one below.. its about $15 or so.. you can jump past it to see if it is the culprit.

TikiHut2

BINGO! Drew hit it... it was a bad slave solenoid. Went back out after posting and digging around on the net and found this excellent post on another forum:
(LINK TO STARTER ISSUES)
I found the starter slave solinoid on the intake manifold, back by distributor. Tested it..Bad..Jumpered it...Wahoo!
It gets better....I actually had one in my on-board tool bag from when I replaced both of my OD trim solenoids because ONE went bad so I had the 2nd as a spare which is a direct replacement for the starter slave solenoid. That starter wasn't coming out w/o serious rum therapy so I'm incredibly relieved.

Thanks for the input and I'll be out on the water tomorrow for a long weekend with 3 wild and crazy gals... Hope I get some fun pics..... I'll post the rest of 'em here

Thanks for the input BD, even at 30k' wow. By the way you're right about the starter needing to be spark ignition proof for a marine app.

Cya, Ok girls break out the grass skirts and coconut bras it's Mike doing the happy dance....

JoeStang

Glad to hear it was an easy and cheap fix, those are hard to come by....

gslpro

Hey Mike.....Are these "girls" of age?  If so, I might escape from the 9" of snow coming in on Sunday and fly down to do some boating with you all.  

Oh wait..........I just remember that the wife would kill me.   Guess I will have to live on the water, through your pictures.  Please post warm, watery boating pictures!! 

:ar!

TikiHut2

LOL, yeah they're old enough to know better, all cousins, and frisky like puppies.....yet they still congregate on the TikiHut. Have some more rum my sweet lassies.

I have to leave them alone on the boat for a few hours on Saturday night to attend a work Cmas party so I'll need a chaparone for them if you can sneak out....... Thanks for the sacrifice, I'll owe you one.  <:-P

BoatAway

good link mike. i saved it for future use. inevitable.

i still remember one time i stopped to get gas at a marina far away from home and the engine wouldn't start back up. i was fa-reekin. eventually had to call the in-house mechanic. turns out it was a very complicated issue that was only solved by the smartest of all mechanics with precise instruments and tools. my throttle had been bumped out of neutral. D'OH!

Dream_Inn

Great thread and glad it worked out Tiki!

BA, That happened to a buddy of mine last year.  Middle of river, I asked the question....hmmm, then I heard the engine start.

:-\"

Glassguy54

I can top yours BoatAway. We were at the ramp & eased the boat into the river, turned the key, engine turned over, but wouldn't catch, not even after numerous attempts. Pulled a plug wire & stuck a screwdriver in and put it next to a ground to see if I had spark while Honey Bunny turned the key. Too bright a day to be able to see if we had spark or not, or my screwdriver just wasn't doing the job. Luckily we were still on the trailer, so we drove into town to the local boatworks to get an expert opinion. The tech came out, took a quick look, and immediately said, "Your kill switch is off." Never occurred to me! How embarrassing.

TikiHut2

The GG kill switch story reminds me of one that'd stump the pros. It was posted here by a Rinker 270 owner from Orlando. He'd searched n cussed n did trouble shooting on a no start when for some unknown reason he checked the clip at the kill switch at the shifter (which was in place as it should be and otherwise looked normal) to find that it had cracked just enough to allow the switch to activate, effectively shunting the "run" circuit.

I'd forgotten to check that one(luckily it wasn't my problem) but maybe it'll serve somebody else before they just light a match in the bilge in frustration if it's their gremlin.

Hey RY I'm pretty sure you have a starter on that oily boat beast of yours too.... Don't tempt the gremlins. 

Michael T

G-54 - I got nabbed by the frickin kill switch once too! Not quite as funny as a guy at our marina who is a self professed expert on anything and everything marine. He was trying to launch his boat at the ramp. He was telling the admiral she did not have it in the water far enough and was revving the engine to about 4 grand. After he told her for the third time that she didn't know how to back a boat in she got out of the truck and told him maybe he should take off the two stern trailering tie down straps. Before he could do that (and he was movin' real fast at that point) she took a picture with her phone for the family album! Too funny. btw I was watching the whole thing from a distance but was too busy to walk over and tell him what was amiss - yeah I know karmas gonna get me! :-) MT

BoatAway

i guess the kill switch gets us all once. it got me when we were in some deep swells. never again!

loving the funny stories...

Black_Diamond

Never, ever, say never.

Black_Diamond

If not a kill switch, a neutral switch....

212rowboat

Just don't forget the rotor wash, ry, you'll be in a world of hurt without a bucket of that onboard at all times.. :-)