1981 Evinrude 70HP will not start - 1 click shorts out

[mobisware]

When I try starting the boat, I hear 1 click and then all electrical cuts out. If I disconnect the battery momentarily, then reconnect, the accessories (fuel and battery gauges) light up. But then when I try starting the boat again, I hear 1 click and then all electrical cuts out again. This is the first time I've tried starting the boat since hurricane Irma. Prior to the hurricane, I removed the battery and filled the hull with water to weight the boat down. I removed the water right after the hurricane and left the boat to dry for 2 months. I recently recharged the battery and tried starting it. I've tried to disconnect everything except the motor but nothing happens, don't hear anything. The outboard did not seem to have any visible damage from the hurricane. Maybe the wire to the motor is corroded. Perhaps I can try starting it manually. Any ideas would be helpful.

 

[flyingscott]

Check all your electrical connections. Clean them to shiny and pay close attention to the ground cable.

 

[Joe Reeves]

In agreement with "flyingscott"..... if the battery is good and fully charged, running good known jumper cables directly to the starter will tell you if the starter is okay or not. If this cranks the engine over normally, do the cleaning bit as instructed above along with cleaning the components the cables/wires attach to. Always possibe the solenoid has failed BUT it's usually as "flyingscott" states.

 

[mobisware]

I cleaned all the connections and made sure only the motor was connected. I got 1 click and nothing more. So I repeated the process and finally it fired up! Thanks for your help guys! I appreciate it!

 

[Crosbyman]

starter may have a few bad spots ........ carefull not to get stuck miles out